After being advised to rein in their emotions, jurors in the trial of a man's fatal shooting spree has begun deliberating their verdict.
Bradley Jason Mark White, 42, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Byron Tonks and injuring two other people when he fired more than 200 bullets from his home and front verandah in Wyong on the NSW Central Coast in March 2020.
'You would not be human if you didn't feel for all the people trapped in their houses under a hail of bullets," Justice Mark Ierace told the jury on Wednesday.
"But you must identify that emotion and put it to one side."
While White doesn't deny killing Mr Tonks, his lawyers argue he has a mental health impairment from a traumatic childhood and a head injury he sustained in 2000.
After assessing him, clinical neuropsychologist and forensic psychologist Dr Susan Pulman found White had a "disturbed and troubled" childhood that included a violent father, abuse and a disrupted educational history.
White was also receiving treatment for ice and cannabis addictions.
"There were indications that he had not attended a number of appointments," Dr Pulman told the court in her evidence.
"So a rather chaotic record of trying to get help, then not pursuing it to any great length within that period."
From Dr Pulman's analysis, White did have some cognitive impairment but the she was unable to tell how much had contributed to his shooting spree.
According to one forensic psychiatrist, White undoubtedly knew what he was doing but wasn't aware of the moral wrongness of his actions because he was in a paranoid state.
His mood had been unstable in the weeks before the March 17 shooting, shown by irrationality and paranoia towards his neighbours.
In an interview with police, White stated his motive was his fury at a young neighbour laughing, revving his car and playing loud music in previous days, the Crown said in its opening address.
"He wouldn't fight me like a man - he wouldn't come over," White told police, crown prosecutor Kate Ratcliffe alleged.
Using his late father's bolt-action rifle and semi-automatic pistol, White shot at people, homes and cars for about an hour, striking Mr Tonks as he sheltered with family in the front living room of his home.
He lost consciousness and his family performed CPR as Mr White continued to fire before surrendering after an hour.
As well as Mr Tonks' murder, White is charged with two counts of shooting with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and four counts of shooting at a dwelling with reckless regard for the safety of people.
