00:00Brendan Cantilla is accused of murdering Isfakar Rahman when he entered the student's home late
00:08at night while the student was sleeping and struck him in the head with a brick paver
00:13and then with a fire extinguisher fracturing his face and skull.
00:17This morning, the defence called neuropsychologist Laura Scott, who interviewed Mr Cantilla while
00:23he was in prison awaiting trial.
00:26Reading from a report she prepared at the time, Ms Scott said Mr Cantilla told her he had
00:31a brief verbal altercation with two men, including the victim, on the night of Mr Rahman's death.
00:37Ms Scott said Mr Cantilla recalled becoming angry when the two men allegedly made derogatory
00:43comments about he and his mother.
00:45He said, I wanted to go back and bash them.
00:48Ms Scott said elements of Mr Cantilla's cognitive profile were comparable to that of a nine-year-old
00:55child and while she was unable to make a formal diagnosis, she said it was more likely than
01:00not that Mr Cantilla had an intellectual disability.
01:04She said while he had the capacity to understand his actions could cause significant harm to
01:09the victim, Ms Scott expressed doubt as to whether he understood his actions risked causing
01:14the death of Mr Rahman.
01:17During his cross-examination of the witness, Crown Prosecutor Lloyd Babb SC suggested the accused
01:23had demonstrated a high level of planning when he checked for CCTV cameras outside the house
01:29and later tried to cover up his crime by hiding the paper from police.
01:34You agree the attack was planned?
01:36There was an element of planning.
01:38That it was deliberate?
01:39Yes.
01:40And it was controlled.
01:41I don't agree it was controlled.
01:43The witness agreed that alcohol consumption was likely a significant factor in Mr Cantilla's
01:49behaviour, however, she said his ability to control himself was likely to be significantly reduced
01:55regardless of intoxication.
01:58The trial continues.
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