Weatherston trial: 'Pride and Prejudice' drama

There is "little doubt" that Clayton Weatherston 'dissociated' during his lethal stabbing attack on Sophie Elliott, the chief mental health advisor says.

Evidence has also emerged that it "may not be unreasonable to believe"

Weatherston's heightened dose of Prozac in the days before he killed Elliott "played a part in this tragic event".

The national Director of Mental Health Dr David Chaplow is giving evidence at the High Court in Christchurch in Weatherston's trial for the murder of Elliott.

Weatherston admits killing his ex-girlfriend at her Dunedin home on January 9 last year, but says he is guilty only of manslaughter, because he was provoked.

Chaplow said he had twice examined Weatherston and interviewed family and close friends and had listened to evidence in court.

"Practically everything that I have seen support my previous opinion," Chaplow said.

Narcissism was a dominant feature of Weatherston's personality.

"I am mindful that one of the character trait of the narcissist is the propensity for 'narcissistic rage' when frustrated or humiliated," he said.

In the moments prior to the killing, comments Weatherston claimed Elliott had said to him denigrating his mother and knocking off his glasses "all summated in rage against Sophie".

"There is little doubt that he 'dissociated' during the frenzied attack on Sophie," Chaplow said.

"Dissociation is a mental mechanism whereby behaviour is 'dissociated' from feeling. This can be a normal state of behaviour during high stress."

Chaplow said Weatherston claimed to have increased his normal dosage of Prozac from 20mg to 60mg on each of the three days prior to the killing.

"Symptoms of agitation, known as 'akathisia', are often associated with this type of medication and occasionally with associated 'rage-reactions' and/or suicidal or homicidal propensities," Chaplow said.

Weatherston's increased doseage probably did hyper-arouse him and disrupt his sleep.

"I do not consider that it induced automatistic behaviour, which of itself appear to be intense and goal-directed," Chaplow said.

Weatherston was, however, a vulnerable character with characteristics of anxiety, obsessionality and narcissism.

"It may not be unreasonable to believe that the excess medication played a part."

Chaplow is now under cross-examination from Crown counsel Marie Grills. He agreed he was not a witness called to pass a verdict on the case.

"The only reason we're here is to assist the ladies and gentleman to make their decision," Chaplow said.

JANE AUSTEN 'ROMANCE'?

Earlier today the court was told how Elliott created a plot for the relationship she had with her killer in which she was Elizabeth Bennet and he was Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.

Under re-examination by Judith Ablett-Kerr QC this morning, Weatherston was asked to explain a reference he made yesterday to Elliott writing "Pride and Prejudice stuff" in her diary.

"She talked about me looking like Colin Firth who was the actor who played Mr Darcy ... And she talked about stubbornness in the way we were interacting with each other," Weatherston said.

Elliott had found their relationship similar to that between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Weatherston said.

"I think she fervently wanted to have an interesting life and part of that was engaging in an element of melodrama and Elizabeth Bennet was one of the characters that she strongly affiliated with," he said.

"Possibly Marilyn Monroe was a role model of hers as well."

The court has also heard a lot more of Elliott's personal diary read out.

Ablett-Kerr read further extracts from what was read by the Crown yesterday because she said it added context. In one entry, Elliott had written: "I've done my bit.

"If he chooses to ignore me (he has not replied to my last text and the one before that was very non-committal) I'll take the hint and leave him alone." Weatherston said after that entry she had not left him alone.

Another entry said: "Maybe saying I regret saying I slept with Clayton is a little harsh... He's rejecting me and I'm embarrassed. I jumped in to bed with him."

"... I should stay away from videos though because he's got some serious sex appeal in some of the videos I took."

Ablett-Kerr also read an extract which said: "Last night stayed at Clayton's. Was not good.
"... We were having some conversation which started with me saying what a fat arse I am.

"And while I am brushing my teeth he says `I like that in girls'. ... He meant to imply that he doesn't mind me putting on weight ... I told him it was not funny." Weatherston said he had suggested that he liked her curves.

"I don't think I ever said I liked fat girls but I said I liked her curves," Weatherston said. Ablett-Kerr also read more from a diary entry introduced yesterday where Elliott had written about an occasion she scratched a former boyfriend.

In the entry, referring to the former boyfriend - not Weatherston - Elliott had written: "I confess that he drove me nuts sometimes, that I actually worried about my mental health when I was with him."

A further entry was about when Elliott and Weatherston had reconciled after a break-up. Elliott had written that Weatherston told her he did not sleep and had a rough weekend after they had split up.

Weatherston had told her they were both at fault but he felt like he had "totally f...ed up the relationship".

"Clayton felt like he had been much worse if he was being honest," Elliott had written. "He didn't know what to do.

"Was he just lonely or did he actually miss me?" Weatherston had told her he felt like he was losing someone he loved and that was enough to encourage him to "grovel".

Weatherston said he "didn't really like a lot what she has written there".

"I never told her my heart was pounding like crazy or that I was sweating with nerves, those were the things she told me she was feeling," Weatherston said.

Weatherston is continuing giving evidence under re-examination.

- JOHN HARTEVELT/The Press