Norway's mass killer Breivik declared sane

A second psychiatric evaluation of Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has found him sane enough to face trial and a jail term. The findings contradict a previous evaluation, published in November, that found him legally insane.

Breivik is due to stand trial on Monday over a shooting spree last July, in which he admits killing 77 people. The question of his sanity decides whether he will be sent to a psychiatric ward or jail.

"The main conclusion of the experts is that Anders Behring Breivik is found to be not psychotic during the time of his actions on July 22, 2011," the Oslo court said in a statement on Tuesday. "That means that he is considered criminally responsible at the time of the crime."

The second evaluation was approved by a court in January following widespread criticism of last year's assessment that diagnosed him as a paranoid schizophrenic – meaning he would most likely be detained in psychiatric care.

Many of his surviving victims believed he was sane, and that the only proper punishment would be a prison sentence.

BBC News, 10 April 2012

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