Jurgen Demesmaeker, the 52-year-old man accused of murdering Ilse Uyttersprot, has “a narcissistic and theatrical personality,” psychiatrists told the East Flanders Assize Court on Tuesday.
Demesmaeker was guilty of the crime, according to the team of three psychiatrists and a psychologist appointed to examine him. The specialists found that there was a “rather moderate” risk of him repeating the offence.
“He is a very charming person, but one who has very high self-esteem and is inclined to commit offences,” said psychiatrist Jan De Varé. “He did not show any real depressive symptoms at the time of the examination, but he did mention them at the time of the offence.
“However, we did not detect any evidence of severe depression,” the psychiatrist added. “He describes himself more as a ‘control freak’ and someone who is very structured, but there is no real compulsive disorder.”
According to psychologist Renaat Mattheus, the accused has a “narcissistic and theatrical type” of personality, with a hint of “psychopathy.”
“I’m not saying he’s a psychopath,” Mattheus said. “He’s charming and flirtatious, but he lacks authenticity in his relationships with others. The risk of a repeat offence is fairly moderate, but in a relational context where rejection is present, the probability seems higher.”
Jurgen Demesmaeker is accused of murdering Ilse Uyttersprot, the former mayor of Aalst, with whom he was in a relationship, in 2020.
