Weatherston 'grossly narcissistic'

Clayton Weatherston is "grossly narcissistic," prone to histrionics and blames victim Sophie Elliott for the situation he is in, a court has heard.

A second psychiatric expert is giving evidence in the High Court at Christchurch in Weatherston's trial for the murder of Sophie Elliott.

He was the final witness called by the defence, and evidence in the trial is finished.

Lead defence counsel Judith Ablett-Kerr QC told Justice Potter this afternoon that the defence case was closed.

The Crown had been expected to call a final witness in rebuttal but did not.

Justice Potter has instructed the 11-person jury to return on Monday to hear closing arguments.

Legal arguments will be heard this afternoon and tomorrow in a closed court.

Associate Professor Philip Brinded, the chief of psychiatry for the Canterbury District Health Board, had this afternoon told the jury Weatherston demonstrated grossly narcissistic characteristics in his relationship with Elliott.

Weatherston killed Elliott on January 9 last year after a tumultuous six-month relationship.

Weatherston denies it was murder, however, saying he was provoked.

"From his perspective she was responsible for the state of affairs in which he now found himself," Brinded said.

Weatherston had told him the killing "had destroyed everything for him" and brought shame on his family.

"He had significant difficult over the status Miss Elliott had post-humously. He thought it was very unfair on him," Brinded said.

Weatherston thought publicity in favour of Elliott had created an "imbalance against him" and there had been a "rewriting of reality" about Elliott.

Weatherston had read the report on the injuries inflicted upon Elliott's dead body and said he felt it was as though someone else had caused the injuries.

"He speculated that they might represent the emasculation of the relationship or that Miss Elliott used sex as a weapon," Brinded said.

Brinded told the 11-person jury it was his opinion that the defence of insanity could be ruled out.

The idea that Weatherston could have committed the killings in an unconscious "automatistic" state could also be ruled out.

Weatherston could, however, be diagnosed as suffering from a personality disorder of the cluster B category dominated by narcissistic personality traits with some histrionic and borderline traits.

"The evidence from the trial I believe could be seen to further reinforce this view," Brinded said.

Asked by defence counsel Greg King what "histrionic" meant, Brinded said: "Prone to fluctuating emotional expression, emotional outbursts and at times being somewhat theatrical."

The trial has adjourned for lunch and Brinded will return to give further evidence at 2:15pm.

Earlier, defence witness Dr David Chaplow ended his evidence  saying Weatherston's inability to let go of an issue led, in part, to his ex-girlfriend's killing.

"In spite of good advice from many quarters, he was unable to let go, wanting to have the last word, make his point by humiliation, and so we had the final tragedy," Chaplow said.

Crown prosecutor Marie Grills this morning cross-examined Chaplow, who is the national director of mental health.

Grills challenged Chaplow about his assessment of Weatherston having dysfunctional interpersonal relationships.

She said Weatherston, a research fellow at Otago University, had a reputation for helping students.

She said he had had three long-term relationships of two to three years.

"And that would be important," Chaplow said.

Grills said Weatherston's mother had described her son having "a good circle of friends".

"Particularly from the rugby team he played on and later on [he] maintained a number of successful relationships with males and females," Weatherston's mother had told another psychiatrist, Grills said.

"She then went on to describe on the topic of interpersonal relationships with other women … had always been good."

Chaplow agreed he "would certainly take that in to account".

Grills said a friend of ten years from Otago University, Paul Hansen, had described Weatherston as patient, kind and generous.

"I don’t think I’ve seen him angry. Upset perhaps, but no, I can’t recall seeing him angry," Hansen had said, according to Grills.

Grills said one feature of narcissism was excessive fantasies of grandeur.

However, Weatherston had once said he wanted to be a sports journalist and a physiotherapist – a "very achieveable goal" for him.

The defence has emphasised aspects of Weatherston's personality that showed him to be narcissistic.

Under re-examination by Greg King for the defence, a series of notes from Weatherston's counselling in 2006 were put to Chaplow.

"Does others' work to be liked … safety behaviour," the notes said.

"Confronting the compliant man, longing to get the best evaluations from students. Trying to be adored."

Chaplow said such notes could "of course" have a bearing on narcissism.

Chaplow yesterday described narcissism as a "dominant feature" of Weatherston's personality.

"The notes that you have read are certainly consistent with the opinions I have formed about the accused," Chaplow said.

Weatherston's mother had not seen her son's narcissism because he held her in high esteem and they did not clash.

"Those that they hold in high esteem they usually relate to very well indeed. Those who they debase, the contrary holds," Chaplow said.

"He loves his mother … and that relationship was very mutually supportive and the issues of narcissism certainly weren’t described to me [by his mother]."

Three people very close to Weatherston, including Elliott, had described his inability to let things go.

- By JOHN HARTEVELT, The Press