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Vermeulen pleads not guilty on psychiatric grounds

Former Zimbabwe Test player Mark Vermeulen admitted on Thursday to torching the Zimbabwe cricket board's headquarters but pleaded not guilty to arson on the grounds he had been suffering psychiatric problems.

At the start of his trial, Vermeulen entered a not guilty plea over the torching of the cricket association offices at the Harare Sports Club in October 2006 and an arson attack at the national training academy the next day.

Vladimir Rajkovic, a private psychiatrist in Harare, said the 29-year-old was not disputing he had carried out the attacks but said his client had suffered from partial complex epilepsy and impulsive behavior disorder after he was hit and injured by a cricket ball during a match in Australia.

"The illness causes loss of impulse control and compromises anger management," Rajkovic said. "Mark needs lifelong medication to prevent any stressor causing an epileptic discharge because of that injury."

Rajkovic said the cricketer had shown "significant improvement" since he started treating him six months ago.

"When I first met him he was this young, spoilt, cocky and somewhat arrogant young man so full of himself," he said. "What struck me first was his nonchalant approach to the whole case. From the little golden boy, he has suddenly realized, after he started taking his medication, that life can be tough. We now have here a humble young man, not a sports star. As his body matures, his body will mend the injury."

Munyaradzi Madombiro, a government psychiatrist, said: "The damage that has been caused causes this behavior."

He said the condition could only be controlled by medication and could not be cured.

The 29-year-old batsman, who played the last of his eight Test matches in 2004, faces two counts of arson. If convicted he faces up to 25 years in prison with hard labor.

Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe adjourned Vermeulen's trial until Jan. 30.
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