A Lavington man accused of murdering a fellow drug dealer clearly was suffering from a mental illness on the night of the killing, his trial has heard.
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Defence witness Dr Anna Farrar said her diagnosis was Campbell Hart had a substance-induced psychotic disorder.
Further, she told Hart’s Supreme Court trial in Albury that Hart was suffering from the condition for at least a few weeks before Luke Hargrave’s death.
The forensic expert was one of two psychiatrists to give evidence on Monday.
Prosecutor Wayne Creasey SC earlier closed the Crown’s case with the submission of health records for Hart, who has pleaded not guilty to murder.
The trial opened with Hart indicating he was guilty instead of the manslaughter of Mr Hargrave, who died the day after being shot with a .22 calibre pen pistol at his Vickers Road home on the night of October 29, 2013.
The jury heard previously how Hart, now 30, was angry with Mr Hargrave over an unpaid $6000 drug debt and because he had paid $5000 for his black ute without his friend having passed on the registration papers.
There was also over a degree of acrimony between the “great mates” because Hart had invested in a failed major drug deal that was supposed to supply methamphetamine from Asian contacts in Sydney.
Dr Farrar told the court, under questioning from defence barrister Eric Wilson SC, Hart revealed he had been smoking between one to two grams of methamphetamine daily around the time of the shooting.
“He reported he was spending thousands of dollars on methamphetamine per week,” she said.
Dr Farrar said her view was that Hart had a substance-induced psychotic disorder around September to October of 2013.
“He experienced paranoid delusions in the months leading up to the offence.”
Dr Farrar said that included Hart’s belief he was under surveillance from and being followed by the police, using cars and drones, as well as being convinced he had “midgets in his roof” and that two detectives who interviewed him “were going to shoot him”.
The disorder, she said, was linked to his use of methamphetamine, cannabis, alcohol and a prescription drug – not sourced from a GP – that he took to fight the insomnia from his use of “ice”.
She pointed to his “bizarre” behaviour during the initial police interviews, including his inability to understand much of what was put to him, as symptomatic of his illness.
Dr Farrar said Hart’s withdrawal from using drugs meant he was now in full remission.
The trial before Justice Stephen Campbell continues.
