Simon Gittany Murder Case

Case Study: The Simon Gittany Murder Case

1. The type of homicide featured in The Simon Gittany Murder Case is that of an intimate partner homicide (IPH). An intimate partner homicide describes threatening or coercive behaviour, physical, sexual and economic abuse by a person towards another person with whom an intimate relationship exists.

2. According to Ms Robilliard, his psychologists report, Gittany was 40 at the time of sentencing in 2014, therefore at the time of the offence in 2011, the offender was 38. He is of Lebanese ethnicity, he was raised in Sydney, Australia, and has five other siblings. He had a stable, caring upbringing and his family is described as being "close knit". His parents didn’t expect him to pay rent when he lived with them, his mother did everything for him. He told Robilliard that it was "like living in a hotel". (NSWSC 49, 2014. para 45).Gittany underwent a personality test that showed “highly elevated and statistically significant scores” for a “schizoid”, “depressive” and “dependent” personality. The report states that “schizoid personalities are typically socially detached and have few, if any, close friends.” Ms Robilliard states: “They often adopt a "peripheral role in social, work and family settings and may lack self-awareness or insight into the implications of interpersonal behaviour". Schizoid attributes occurring with a dependent personality indicates that a person feels "less important and capable than others". (NSWSC 49, 2014. para 56) It was also stated that “There was no doubt that the accused was controlling, dominating and at times abusive.” (NSWSC 49, 2014. para 56) Earlier in life, Gittany had developed a criminal history. He had numerous convictions including assault occasioning actual bodily harm when he was 18 (NSWSC 49, 2014. para 46), at age 21 he had two counts of receiving stolen property, and was charged for the assault of a police officer by maliciously wounding them whilst performing their duty. Gittany bit on the ear of the police officer, severing a portion of it. (NSWSC 49, 2014. para 47) (NSWSC 49, 2014. para 48) In 2001 Gittany was convicted of offences of supplying the prohibited drug ecstasy and having goods (money) in his custody that were thought to be stolen.

3. Gittany has many similar characteristics to the general patterns in offenders who commit IPH. In a study it was found that perpetrators of IPH were diagnosed with mental disorders such as borderline personality disorder and depression (Häggström and Petersson, 2012. P2) which manifests in traits such as aggression, impulsivity and a fear of being abandoned. As I mentioned in the previous answer, Gittany’s psychologist administered a personality test and it showed the results of “highly elevated and statistically significant scores” for “schizoid”, “depressive”, and “dependent”