Defence at Garnier trial raises issue of “automatism” with psychiatrist
HALIFAX — It’s possible Christopher Garnier was suffering from a rare condition in which he was not fully aware of his actions immediately following the death of off-duty police officer Catherine Campbell, a psychiatrist told the Halifax man’s murder trial Thursday.
Dr. Stephen Hucker was asked by the defence to prepare a report on the high-profile case, and he was later qualified as an expert witness in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
Defence lawyer Joel Pink asked Hucker about “automatism,” and the psychiatrist said it is defined as behaviour that a person is not consciously aware of.
Garnier has told the jury he has fragmented memories about what happened in the early hours of Sept. 11, 2015, and he has said he does not remember dumping Campbell’s body near the Macdonald Bridge in downtown Halifax.