Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army Private First Class solider convicted of leaking over 700,000 secret government documents, struggled with gender identity during his deployment in Iraq.
Pfc. Manning also showed signs of behavioral disorders that got worse when he felt stress, said a military psychiatrist during the private's sentencing hearing on Wednesday, reports NBC News.
The 25-year-old former intelligence analyst faces up to 90 years in prison for exposing classified government documents, battle videos and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, an anti-secrecy organization, in 2010. Last month he was convicted of espionage, releasing classified information, disobeying orders and leaking intelligence knowing that it would be accessible to the enemy.
On Wednesday, Manning's defense team sought to show the judge that the private's signs of mental stress were ignored by superiors, with an Army psychologist testifying that Manning felt isolated because he was struggling with his gender identity and was considering living as a woman.
Cpt. Michael Worsley, who treated Manning from December 2009 to May 2010 during his deployment in Iraq, testified that Manning lived in a "hyper masculine environment" and had little support for his gender crisis.
"I think being in the military and having a gender identity issue does not exactly go hand in hand," Worsley said, according to Reuters. "You put him in that kind of environment, this hyper masculine environment if you will, with no coping skills, the pressure would have been incredible."
Navy Cpt. David Moulton, a psychiatrist who interviewed the private for 21 hours at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. after his arrest, testified that Manning had a troubled childhood, was neglected and grew up with two alcoholic parents. Manning showed signs of narcissism, borderline personality disorder and obsessive compulsivity, Moulton said.
Manning, himself, is expected to break his silence and take the stand to give a statement as the defense seeks to persuade the judge to issue a lighter sentence.
A military judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, will determine the sentence. Wednesday is expected to be the final day of the defense portion of the sentencing hearing.