A psychologist testified on Thursday that alleged Kiwi drug smuggler Antony de Malmanche was vulnerable, allowing him to be easily manipulated by an international drug syndicate.
De Malmanche was arrested on December 1, 2014 at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport when customs found 1.7 kilograms of meth in his backapack—meth, which de Malmanche claims to have known nothing about.
A New Zealand-based psychologist, Rupert Bird, testified on Thursday in de Malmanche’s Bali trial that the man suffers dependent personality disorder, PTSD, chronic pain, and chronic depression, according to News Corp Australia.
To add insult to injury, Bird also added that de Malmanche’s low IQ of 75 left him particularly impressionable, explaining how he could be scammed into thinking he had found love with a woman he belied he was dating online.
“He’s abnormally trusting and believed a story that emotionally healthy people would see as being obviously not true,” Bird said.
De Malmanche’s lawyer Craig Tuck reportedly submitted a 400-plus page log of chats between his client and “Jessie,” who de Malmanche had fallen for.
Tuck says the logs demonstrate his client was being groomed to become a victim of “human trafficking.”
“I think this case is a unique set of facts where we have been able to establish a foundation of evidence which shows that this man was exploited by a cartel,” he said, as quoted by News Corp.
If found guilty of drug trafficking, the kiwi could get the death penalty. His trial is slated to continue next week.
Photo: AFP
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