Norwegian court orders new psychiatric appraisal for Breivik

Feb 10, 2012, 14:09 GMT

Oslo - A court in Oslo on Friday ruled that the man who has admitted to killing 77 people in twin bombing and shooting attacks in Norway last year should undergo a new psychiatric assessment at the prison where he is held in custody.

Judge Wenche Elizabeth Arntzen said the appraisal of Anders Behring Brevik should run for up to four weeks and be concluded by the end of March.

Due to security considerations, the court ruled that the appraisal could be conducted at the prison where Breivik is in custody, rather than at a secure psychiatric unit - the preferred option.

Arntzen on January 13 said there was a need for a second opinion on the mental health of the 32-year-old.

The Oslo district court said Friday it was aware that Breivik had said he would not cooperate with the new experts. The court said the appraisal should be conducted in such a manner as to not interfere with Breivik's preparations for the upcoming trial, whose opening hearing has been set for April 16.

Breivik's defence team have appealed to the Supreme Court over the decision to appoint two new experts.

In November, two court-appointed psychiatrists concluded that Breivik was legally insane and suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

They were later backed by a panel of psychiatrists and psychologists from the Norwegian Board of Forensic Medicine. But other experts have questioned the diagnosis, sparking a national debate and the Oslo court's decision to order a new assessment.

Breivik has admitted to detonating a bomb in a government district in Oslo that killed eight people on July 22, and later shooting dead 69 at a Labour Party summer camp on an island near the capital.

He said his actions were designed to punish the government for its pro-immigration policies.

In other developments, the court said it had begun the process of appointing three lay judges for the trial. Two professional judges, among them Arntzen, were named earlier.