In this state, normal empathy has gone and the man is flooded with overwhelming feelings, hallucinations and compulsive drives. The father may indeed be able to look at the children he is killing but, because he is so cut off from feeling, what he sees has no meaning. It is not unusual for these men to plan their actions calmly and, indeed, during the planning stage, they may feel very calm. They are simply doing what must be done. Although such extreme behaviour often seems to erupt without warning, once a picture of the background is pieced together, there are often indications that the man has been struggling with stress, sleeping and eating badly and possibly drinking too much, so that his emotional thermostat is off kilter.
Depression is a common symptom, too.
He visited prostitutes regularly, and it emerged that his wife had been having an affair, all of which suggests there were serious domestic problems. The more familiar type of paternal killing occurs when a relationship has broken down and the man feels he has been rejected by his wife and lost his children. Zaidi's wife, for example, had obtained a divorce and remarried a man who had taken on the children. It is the ultimate act of revenge. They are propelled by the same desire to control that frequently means these men have used intimidation and violence to control their partners in other circumstances.