Submarine murder accused Peter Madsen 'wondered if he was a psychopath'
A witness tells the jury that Peter Madsen had once shown him a "violent video" ending with a person being strangled with a wire.
Monday 26 March 2018 16:49, UK
A man accused of murdering a Swedish journalist has been described in court as "loving and friendly", but also someone who wondered if he "could be a psychopath".
The descriptions were used by different people during the fifth day of evidence in the trial of Peter Madsen, who is accused of murdering Kim Wall on board his submarine in Copenhagen last year.
Ms Wall, 30, had gone to interview the Danish inventor about the homemade submarine on 10 August, but she never returned and her dismembered body was found in the sea days later.
Madsen, 47, admits dismembering Ms Wall's body and throwing it overboard, but denies a charge of premeditated murder.
Witness Deidre King, who has known Madsen for 14 years and was previously in a relationship with him, told Copenhagen City Court: "Peter is not violent, he doesn't like to hit people".
She said Madsen was "a loving, friendly, empathetic and very good person through and through", adding that he had taken care of her after her own violent relationship.
Giving evidence earlier, an Australian documentary maker said Madsen had told her he could be a psychopath.
The woman, Emma Sullivan, had been making a film about Madsen and his projects for about a year when Ms Wall died.
She said that, on 9 August, he had talked to her about being alone, saying: "You're all alone in the most important moments of your life. You're alone when you're born and you're alone when you die."
She said he had also told her: "You should know what it's like to have sex on the submarine, it's amazing."
On 10 August, the day Madsen is accused of killing Ms Wall, the witness described him in an interview where "he talked about whether he could potentially be a psychopath".
In court, she cried as she said: "I think about it all the time."
The witness said she had seen something sticking out of Madsen's pockets.
"I couldn't see whether it was his wallet, a pocket knife or what not," she said.
Madsen never said anything to her about Ms Wall or plans to take the submarine out later in the day, she said, although Ms Sullivan did recall that he was "probably the most tired I had ever seen him".
Another witness, an acquaintance of Madsen's, made a brief appearance, telling the court that the inventor had once shown him a "violent video" ending with a person being strangled with a wire.
Madsen says Ms Wall, an award-winning reporter, died when the air pressure suddenly dropped and toxic fumes filled the submarine while he was up on deck.
The cause of her death has not been established.
The prosecution has said it will seek a life sentence, which in Denmark averages around 16 years, or safe custody, a legal alternative which would keep Madsen behind bars indefinitely as long as he is deemed dangerous.