A psychiatrist giving evidence for accused killer David James Gates ceased practising in Australia after being struck off, the High Court at Wellington was told yesterday.
Gates, aged 27, has admitted killing Wellington law student Gavin Dash on September 27, 1999, but denied the charge of murder on the grounds of
insanity.
Mr Dash's dismembered body was found in the Makara Hills, Wellington, in June and July last year. Gates was excused from attending the trial yesterday.
Dr John Grigor, who was giving evidence as a psychiatrist who had treated Gates, rather than as an expert forensic psychiatrist, agreed with crown prosecutor Grant Burston that he had been struck off in Australia.
Defence lawyer John Rowan later asked him whether he had been struck off for professional incompetence, to which he said he had not.
Dr Grigor said he had been struck off for one year and had since been reinstated.
Dr Grigor, who treated Gates for about three weeks after the defendant was committed to ward 27 of Wellington Hospital last year, agreed with Mr Burston that he had not read all the notes of evidence in the case, Gates' statements to police or the admissions made on Gates' behalf by the defence.
His opinion that Gates was legally insane at the time of the killing was based on his dealings with the defendant in May last year and on what Gates' family had said.
Mr Burston asked him whether - given that he had not been provided with the notes of evidence, copies of Gates' interviews with the police or the schedule of admissions - it was unprofessional for him to provide an opinion to the jury on the issue of whether the defendant was legally insane at the time of the crime.
"I would need some guidance as to why that would be unprofessional," Dr Grigor said.
Dr John Crawshaw, of Porirua Hospital, said Gates' mental functioning had progressively declined, certainly from his early 20s but most probably since his late teens, and there seemed to have been a marked decline in the period before the killing.
Gates had told Dr Crawshaw that he had been hearing the voice of God from his late teens.
But in the period leading up to the killing, the voice of God had gone quiet, which caused him some concern about his spirituality.
Gates said to him: "I didn't know what I had done."
Dr Crawshaw said Gates told him he had to "erase" Mr Dash because Mr Dash had an "occult with him".
- NZPA
A psychiatrist giving evidence for accused killer David James Gates ceased practising in Australia after being struck off, the High Court at Wellington was told yesterday.
Gates, aged 27, has admitted killing Wellington law student Gavin Dash on September 27, 1999, but denied the charge of murder on the grounds of
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.