Did jeweler robber shoot on impulse or of his own free will? Psychiatrist explains in court: “When we know we could die, we do everything in overkill” | Ghent

Ten months probation for ‘provoked manslaughter’. You would think that it would be a light punishment if you shot someone dead. But what if that ‘someone’ just robbed half your jewelry store and held your family at gunpoint? Could it not be a matter of impulse, and therefore ‘lawful self-defense’? Jeweler Filip Moens now hopes to convince the Court of Appeal of this with the help of a psychiatrist: “It is the ‘hijack’ of your brain. The animal system encourages response. We want to survive. No matter what.”