Two psychiatrists say a Dunedin teen was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when he fatally stabbed a schoolboy at the bus hub.
The 14-year-old defendant has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 16-year-old Enere Taana-McLaren on the basis of self-defence, or that he did not intend to kill the Trinity Catholic College student.
In October, Dr Maxwell Pankhurst wrote a report which did not find prominent symptoms of PTSD but after a final meeting with the teenager his statement, compiled last month, said there was "strong evidence" of the disorder.
Fellow forensic psychiatrist Brandon Strange reached the same conclusion at a similar time.
The finding centred on an incident nine months before the bus-hub stabbing in which the defendant was reportedly beaten and robbed in a Dunedin park.
After a period of isolation, he told clinicians he took on a "gangster" mentality as someone who would not back down.
He told Dr Pankhurst he began watching fight videos on YouTube and doing weights and push-ups in the garage of the family home.
He said he also made a punching bag out of an old fridge and wrapped his hands in clothes.
Around that time, the teen’s father found a corkscrew in his room — he explained it was a form of protection.
The defendant told Dr Pankhurst he later began carrying a knife when out in public.
"I didn’t have any thoughts to stab [people]. I just didn’t want to be the guy that gets bullied," he said.
"It started making me a little more confident."
While the teen reported feeling hypervigilant when out in public he said things were relatively settled by May.
But when Enere made a derogatory comment about the defendant’s attire, it sparked a confrontation.
"He was being disrespectful ... disrespect makes me feel like s...," the boy said.
"He was big but not that big. I thought I could fight him."
He told Dr Pankhurst as he approached Enere he felt anxious he may be beaten up in front of everyone at the bus hub.
Showing the knife during another stand-off just weeks earlier had deterred an assailant, but the teenager said flashing the weapon had no effect on the victim.
"I pulled it out and started chasing him. I had no thoughts to stab him," he said.
But "things changed" when Enere aimed a kick at his head.
"I was in fight mode, ultra focused," the defendant said.
He recalled being shocked that he had stabbed someone, but did not anticipate such catastrophic consequences.
"I thought he would be fine. I didn’t know it was going to get an artery or whatever," he told Dr Pankhurst.
The teenager also reported being repeatedly bullied at school, cellphone footage of which was often circulated on social media.
He recounted to the psychiatrist having his shoes thrown in a river and water poured over his desk.
The start of the 2024 school year was "like walking into the lion’s den", the teen said.
In another violent altercation, he said he was beaten but got some respect from others for standing his ground.
"It reinforced the fact that the only way forward was not backing down from bullies," Dr Pankhurst said.
The defendant told Dr Strange he found acceptance with friends who got into trouble.
"He assimilated the gangster ways because it provides safety and acceptance," the psychiatrist said.
After his arrest and remand at a Youth Justice facility he was assessed by Dr Strange who told the court the boy had adopted a "gangster persona ... [acting] like he was a big man".
"He was talking about gang stuff ... possibly Mongrel Mob — the dogs," he said.
"We assumed his behaviours were his way of protecting himself in the environment, possibly driven by anxiety," Dr Strange said.
The evidence is expected to conclude tomorrow.
