Pair differ over state of mind

TWO psychiatrists who assessed a man accused of murdering his roommate by strangling him to death in a Townsville car park, have disagreed whether diminished responsibility can be claimed.

Mark Anthony Smith is charged with the murder of Bradley Lester, 21, whose body was found at the Sturt St Cutting about 7.30pm on April 16, 2014.

He has pleaded not guilty. The court heard Smith and Mr Lester were roommates at the Ozcare Townsville hostel, which offered temporary support and accommodation to homeless people.

Clinical psychiatrist Dr Donald Grant assessed Smith the same year he allegedly killed his victim, and reviewed his police interviews.

Dr Grant said Smith’s mental state had been worsening since the age of 16 when he was diagnosed with psychosis.

“When you look at all the things that have happened to him, he’s had a very disruptive childhood and has a strong family history of mental illness,” he said.

Dr Grant said Smith’s condition was proving to be treatment resistant, and he was 13 days overdue for his next depo injection, which is anti-psychosis treatment. Dr Grant believed Smith was substantially impaired as a result of his chronic mental health issues.

Crown prosecutor Nigel Rees challenged Dr Grant on his opinion during cross examination. Another forensic psychiatrist who assessed Smith, Dr Jane Phillips, did not believe he was impaired at the time of Mr Lester’s death as Smith did not report hearing “voices” to kill his victim.

Dr Phillips told the court that Smith had not cited the “voices” as the driving force behind his actions, which had been a symptom of his illness, but through a fear that Mr Lester was carrying a gun he was going to kill him with.

The jury will not hear from any more witnesses. The trial continues before Justice David North on Monday.