A man who claims he was 'of unsound mind' when he killed his wife told police she appeared to him as if she were 'a ghost' and 'like a devil' before he attacked her with a knife at their Perth home.
A man who claims he was insane at the time he killed his wife told police she appeared to him as if she were "a ghost" and "like a devil" before he attacked her with a knife at their Balga home, WA's Supreme Court has been told.He had been diagnosed with mental health problems in the years beforeUpendra Pathmasri Ihalahewa, 46, is on trial accused of murdering 44-year-old Darshika Nilmini Kudaligama Withana in Perth on the morning of Sunday February 3 last year.
Mr Ihalahewa admits he inflicted the fatal wounds, but is arguing he should not be held criminally responsible for his wife's death because he was "of unsound mind" at the time. The court was told Ms Withana was stabbed multiple times, including one in which her jugular vein was severed.Accused failed to take medication: prosecutors
In an opening statement to the court, state prosecutor Robert Owen said Ms Withana came to Perth from Sri Lanka in 2015, after what Mr lhalahewa told neighbours was an "arranged" marriage.The neighbours also said in the years before the marriage, Mr Ihalahewa had told them he was homosexual. Mr Owen told the court that in the lead up to the alleged murder, Mr Ihalahewa had used an online dating app "to meet random men for casual sex".Mr Owen said court records showed Mr Ihalahewa was first hospitalised with mental health problems in 2014 after "an incident" at the Frankland psychiatric centre, where he was on a placement as part of his enrolled nursing studies.
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