Professor Nigel Eastman, a consultant forensic psychiatrist, said there was no way of being sure Paul Greenan’s ‘severe personality disorder’ was treatable, even in a secure psychiatric institution.
Referring to a test which is used to asses the seriousness of a person’s psychopathy, he added: ‘This man scored extremely highly and he is scoring at levels which are easily high enough for them to be treated in a secure hospital because of his risk to the public.’ Greenan denies murdering Ms Burns, but the 19-year-old labourer from Belfast admits trying to rape her and violently attacking her in Paris Lane at around 1.30 am on 14 March 2004.
The 35-year-old nursery nurse from Newcastle died in the General Hospital two hours later.
The jury in the case is expected to retire on Monday, after the prosecution and the defence have summed up their cases.
