Ecstasy leads to satanic delusion
Killer believed rocker Anderson’s son was a demon
A YOUNG Sydney man had swallowed 10 ecstasy pills before he savagely bashed to death Angry Anderson’s son, who he thought was a “demon” but in reality was trying to help him, a court has been told.
Mathew Flame, 22, of Narraweena, is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murdering Liam Anderson, 26, in a small suburban park on Sydney’s northern beaches in November 2018.
A jury was told on the first day of the trial on Tuesday that Flame and Mr Anderson were close mates and were partying at an event called “Awful Things” at the Burdekin Hotel in Darlinghurst, where one of their friends vomited after taking ecstasy.
Crown prosecutor Gareth Christofi told the court the group caught an Uber back to the northern beaches when Flame began hallucinating and Mr Anderson followed him to the small park in Queenscliff and said: “I’m not going to leave you.”
But instead of realising Mr Anderson was trying to watch over him, Flame set upon him and beat him to death as onlookers called police and Mr Anderson tried to defend himself, the court was told.
Mr Anderson, 26, suffered critical injuries and paramedics could not save him.
The court was told Flame later told investigators he had taken 10 ecstasy tablets and thought Mr Anderson was a demon of Satan. He also said he did not have a history of any mental illnesses.
He was diagnosed with a schizophrenic disorder while in prison on remand in July last year, the court was told.
But Mr Christofi told the jury Flame had a healthy mind at the time of the alleged murder. “It’s the Crown’s position that … he did not have a disease of the mind … and that his psychosis was caused by the voluntary consumption of drugs,” he said.
Mr Christofi said Flame’s legal team had to prove on the balance of probabilities he was “substantially impaired” during the incident if he was to be convicted of manslaughter and not murder.
Flame’s defence barrister John Stratton, SC, told the jury a true verdict would be not guilty by way of mental illness.
Mr Anderson was one of four children of Rose Tattoo vocalist Gary Stephen “Angry” Anderson., who was in court.
The trial before Justice Richard Button will return to court on Wednesday.