By Sherlissa Peters
Clinical psychologist Lingum Pillay stuck to the assessment contained in his initial report on Jaiseelan Govindsamy, who is on trial for the brutal murder of his wife.
Pillay maintained, under intensive cross-examination by State advocate Dheelan Naidoo, that Govindsamy was not in control of his actions and lacked criminal capacity on the day he killed his wife.
Govindsamy, 41, has pleaded guilty to stabbing his wife, Anthea, 35, in Howick Falls on March 25, 2007. However, he has pleaded not guilty to murder on the basis that he did not appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions at the time.
A panel of expert psychiatrists is listening to the court proceedings and assisting the State with its case against Govindsamy.
In his report on Govindsamy, Pillay stated that on the basis of his assessment, it was probable that Govindsamy's actions on the day of the murder were involuntary and the murder was not premeditated.
Rather, Pillay says, his actions were a result of an acute crisis or an extreme dissociative state - an emotional explosion - that significantly impaired his thinking, his capacity to reason and his control over his behaviour.
Naidoo suggested to Pillay that Govindsamy was fully aware of what was going on around him immediately after he had begun stabbing Anthea, and so surely was aware of what he was doing.
Pillay responded and said that while Govindsamy still had sensory perception and would continue to be aware of the world around him, there was a disconnection between his mental state and his physical activity.
Naidoo said that after examining the post-mortem report on Anthea, the panel of psychiatrists concluded that all the stab wounds to Anthea were directed to the upper part of her body.
She was stabbed 19 times, with the majority of wounds to the torso where her vital organs were located. Other stab wounds were sustained on her face, head and arms.
Naidoo suggested to Pillay that Govindsamy knew exactly what he was doing.
"This wasn't a frenzied attack. He stabbed her 19 times, attacking her vital organs. I am going to suggest that the stab wounds to her arms, face and head are defensive wounds, and indicative of her slumping from a standing position to where she was being stabbed on the ground," Naidoo said.
However, Pillay maintained that the repeated stabbing was a symptom of "overkill" where Govindsamy was swept up in a whirlwind of rage.
Pillay said that from his understanding, the trigger for the attack was the final rejection of Govindsamy by his wife, and her walking away was perceived by him as being the end of their marital relationship.
The trial continues on Wednesday.