But Nicholas Corsellis for the defence said on Monday Stefania was not making rational judgements because she was “acting in the fog of despair”.
He also said Stefania was “devoted to her mother” but was “increasingly struggling to cope”, and her actions had “broke the habits of a lifetime and everything she had lived for”.
“She made rational decisions in the morning, but this contrasts with the middle of the night when that function was terribly and substantially impaired,” he said.
Dr Lucy Bacon, a consultant forensic psychiatrist who interviewed the 64-year-old, previously told the court Stefania’s thoughts were “strongly coloured by her depressive illness” but she was capable of forming a rational judgement.
Bacon agreed with fellow psychiatrist Dr Richard Latham that Stefania’s depression also did not substantially impair her ability to exercise control or understand her own conduct.
When cross-examined by the prosecution, Stefania accepted she was in control and understood what she was doing, and that she was capable of making rational judgements.
