Lynndie England depressed at Abu Ghraib - psychologyst

US Private Lynndie England suffered from depression and her mental condition, coupled with an overly compliant personality, made her a heedless participant in abuse of Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib prison, a psychologist told her military trial.

Xavier Amador, a clinical psychologist from New York, testified to the hearing at Fort Hood, Texas that England’s soldier boyfriend, Charles Graner, was her “social accomplice” whom she relied upon without reservation to guide her behaviour.

“It was a knee-jerk reflex,” Amador testified. “It was very much like a little kid looking to an adult for what to do and what not to do.”

Prosecutors maintain England was a willing participant in the 2003 abuse at Abu Ghraib. They tried to paint Amador as a professional defence witness who tailored his testimony to benefit her.

Major Jennifer Lange, an Army psychiatrist called by prosecutors to rebut Amador’s testimony, interviewed England and concluded she was neither clinically depressed nor suffering from other personality disorders.

England, 22, is charged with seven counts of conspiracy and abuse that carry a maximum sentence of 11 years. Her case will be decided by a jury of five Army officers. An earlier plea deal fell through when testimony by Graner contradicted England’s guilty plea.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday, with deliberations to follow.

England became the most recognisable of the Abu Ghraib soldiers charged over the prison scandal after photos showing her with a naked detainee on a leash and pointing to detainees in other demeaning poses became public.

In earlier evidence yesterday, a West Virginia school psychologist, Thomas Denne, said he realised he had failed England, whom he had worked with as a special-education student since her early childhood.

Denne said he concluded he and others focused too much on getting the mild-mannered girl through school and not enough on providing her with real-life skills.

“She would seek some form of authority in order to follow,” Denne said. “She almost automatically, reflexively complies.”

Denne’s evidence supported England’s core defence, that she was overly compliant and did what Graner told her to do. Graner, who England has said fathered her son while they were deployed, is described by prosecutors as the ringleader of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib.

Two former guards who were convicted over the scandal have told the trial Graner dominated England, but Graner, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role, stopped short of agreeing in his evidence.

Graner said England was generally compliant and trusted him, and that she had no reason to believe he would do anything “illegal or inappropriate”.