'Narcissistic' Breivik remains danger to society, psychiatrist says

Far-right extremist mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who is currently seeking parole in Norway after serving half of his 21-year sentence for murdering 77 people on the island of Utoya in 2011, remains a dangerous man, his psychiatrist has warned.

Randi Rosenqvist told the parole hearing that she had not seen any positive development in Breivik since her first assessment in 2012, and that there was a good chance he could commit further serious violent acts should he be released.

Describing Breivik as having a narcissistic, highly self-aggrandizing personality type, Rosenqvist said: "He is not consistent in what he says. And that's why he can't be trusted."

There is no way of knowing what he actually wants to do in the event of a possible parole - even he has no idea, Rosenqvist said.

Breivik's chances of parole are slim, The testimony of Rosenqvist, who is considered the most important witness in the hearing, is likely to further reduce his chances.

In essence, the court must determine whether he could commit serious crimes again and thus pose a danger to society. The prosecution continues to consider him too dangerous.

Breivik - who has since changed his name to Fjotolf Hansen, but asked to go by his birth name during the proceedings - was sentenced in 2012 to 21 years in jail for a pair of 2011 attacks that left 77 dead.

The terms of his sentence allow him to seek parole after 10 years in prison. But he also faces "preventive detention" after the 21 years is served should he still be seen as a threat to society. Few expect him to be granted parole after this week's hearing.

Just as he did on the first day of the hearing, Breivik entered the chamber holding up a sign with a political message, despite the judge asking him on Tuesday to refrain from such behaviour. Despite that, Breivik argued for his release, noting his willingness to change and follow rules.

Complains

Breivik used his testimony to complain about the strict terms of his imprisonment and his lack of social contact, saying he was not allowed to communicate with others or build meaningful relationships. He had spent most of his imprisonment in isolation, spending 12-hour days studying and drafting business plans, he told defence attorney Oystein Storrvik under questioning.

Breivik noted that the terms of his imprisonment have been relaxed, but remain strict. He claimed that he had been banned from lectures, which made it hard for him to complete his studies.

On Tuesday Breivik told the hearing that he now rejected violence. However, Breivik admitted he remained a National Socialist. Asked by presiding judge Dag Bjorvik on Wednesday whether he could prove that his militant tendencies had disappeared, Breivik replied that someone convicted of a crime could never guarantee that it would never happen again.

On July 22, 2011, Breivik set off a bomb outside the prime minister's offices in Oslo before heading to the island of Utoya where he killed dozens of people attending a political summer camp.

He disguised himself as a police officer during the Utoya attack, meaning many of his victims were running towards him seeking safety when they were killed.