A clinical psychologist has testified that the gunman who killed eight helpless Hong Kong tourists probably copied the modus operandi of a hijack in 2007 and turned violent after the 11-hour hostage crisis in Manila spun out of his control.

Tsui Pui-wang, a police clinical psychologist, Friday described the killer, disgraced ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza, as a man who was probably "decent and responsible" and who probably never expected the hijacking to end so tragically.

Tsui said the hostage-taking on Aug 23, 2010, may have been a copycat of an earlier incident.

Tsui pointed out that Rolando Mendoza was likely inspired by a bus hijacking incident that took place in the Philippine capital in 2007. The hostage taker Armando Jun Ducat, armed with a grenade and an Uzi, kidnapped some 30 children and teachers on a bus and demanded the government assure all the kids he kidnapped were to have a decent college education. All the hostages were released unscathed after the demands were met. Ducat later surrendered to the police.

Considering the similarities between two incidents such as placing posters on the bus windows and demanding to talk to the media, Tsui believed the Aug 23 crisis showed "copycat behavior" and that "Mendoza would probably have had a similar expectation that the whole thing would be rounded off".

However, having seen his younger brother arrested for his crime and assuming his plan failed, Mendoza consequently lost control and started the killing spree on the bus after repeated demands that the authorities free his brother were ignored. "Mendoza was not insane and he had clear missions," Tsui said, adding that Mendoza should have been confident in the anticipation that he would succeed.

The psychologist hinted Mendoza's rationale for the hostage taking may have been based on his preference to face a criminal charge rather than to feel wronged by the authority and to receive a bad reputation to end his police career.

Tsui said, Mendoza, who had served in the police force for three decades, seemed to be a "responsible police officer" and a "good family man and neighbor". Mendoza even received nationwide recognition for rejecting a bribe in 1986. However, his subordinates got involved in blackmail accusations by a hotel chef and Mendoza was sacked for corruption in February 2009. Mendoza had appealed to overturn the decision and but he did not receive any response from the Ombudsman in this matter.

China Daily

(HK Edition 03/12/2011 page1)