Anders Behring Breivik Prosecutor Says [He] May Accept Norway Gunman Not Responsible

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Norwegian prosecutor said on Friday he was conditionally ready to accept that Anders Behring Breivik, the gunman who killed 77 people in twin attacks last July was not criminally responsible for his actions.

This would allow Breivik to be sentenced to confinement in a psychiatric ward instead of a prison at the end of his trial.

"The way the case appears at the time the charges are being brought, there is no basis to request a regular prison penalty," state prosecutor Tor-Aksel Busch wrote in instructions to the prosecutors handling the case.

"But it must be clear in the charge sheet that the prosecution reserves the right, during the trial, to request a prison punishment or containment lasting 21 years (the maximum prison sentence for people deemed criminally responsible in Norway), based on the complete evidence shown to the court," he added. » | Friday, March 02, 2012