Dixon claiming insanity to avoid prison - Crown

A High Court jury has been told Antonie Dixon was a violent man with a P habit who was claiming he was insane to try to avoid imprisonment for murder.

Crown prosecutor Simon Moore told the jury at the High Court in Auckland that Dixon was not insane but had a severe personality disorder, which did not fit the legal definition of a disease of the mind.

Mr Moore was summing up the crown case against Dixon, 40, who faces eight charges relating to incidents that occurred in January 2003.

The charges relate to an attack with a samurai sword on Renee Gunbie and Simonne Butler at Pipiroa near Thames, and the fatal shooting of James Te Aute in Auckland.

Dixon was found guilty in 2005 of eight charges, including murder and causing grievous bodily harm, but the Court of Appeal later ordered a second trial, suppressing its reasons for quashing the original verdicts.

Mr Moore said that for Dixon to be found not guilty due to insanity, his counsel has to prove it was probable that he had a disease of the mind.

However, he said the psychiatrists who gave evidence at the trial, including those who testified on Dixon's behalf, had not done enough to show it was probable he had such a disease.

All said that his severe personality disorder and his use of methamphetamine made an assessment of his state of mind complicated, Mr Moore said.

He also told the jury that all the psychiatrists found he had feigned some symptoms.

"This showed the accused was prepared to lie, to manipulate, to make up symptoms to make himself look as mad as he possibly can. Everything as far as the accused was concerned was an act, and those psychiatrists were his audience," Mr Moore said.

"The problem is that by lying like this he makes it impossible for those trying to assess him to know where the truth lies."

Mr Moore said there were numerous pieces of evidence to suggest Dixon solely had a severe personality disorder. He said Dixon had a history of violence, paranoia and suspiciousness.

"All this is consistent with man with severe personality disorder who's been like this all his life - a violent and angry man. This is his personality, this is what he is.

"It's not a disease of the mind because it's his personality and you can't change it. Each of us has a personality, Mr Dixon just happens to have a severe personality disorder."

He said Dixon's use of methamphetamine, or P, brought out violence, aggression and paranoia, but that Dixon knew what he was doing during his spree of violence.

Mr Moore said that it was difficult to accept Dixon's claim that his shooting of James Te Aute was in self-defence.

He said Mr Te Aute was shot 10 times in the back while trying to get away from Dixon once the accused presented a machine gun, and that Dixon's own words suggested he knew the victim had turned around when he chose to shoot him.

Mr Moore also said there was little evidence of provocation, and that even if the jury found there was, the evidence suggested he never lost the power of self control as he remained calm throughout.

Dixon's lawyer Barry Hart is expected to begin summing up on his behalf tomorrow.