Norwegian Supreme Court upholds new appraisal for Breivik

Feb 15, 2012, 18:16 GMT

Oslo - Norway's Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a ruling that the man who has admitted to killing 77 people in bombing and shooting attacks in Norway last year should undergo a new psychiatric assessment.

Anders Behring Breivik's defence lawyers appealed against the decision last week but would accept the ruling, attorney Geir Lippestad told public broadcaster NRK.

Oslo district court judge Wenche Elizabeth Arntzen on January 13 said a second opinion on Breivik's mental health was needed.

Last week, the judge said the appraisal of Breivik should run for up to four weeks and be concluded by the end of March. The trial proceedings were due to open April 16.

Due to security considerations the district court ruled that the appraisal be conducted at the prison where Breivik is being held, rather than at a secure psychiatric unit, which is the preferred option.

A team of experts was ready to monitor Breivik, who has said he will not cooperate with the doctors.

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.

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.