As the mass murderer Martin Bryant was captured after his heinous series of crimes, criminal profiling was used to draw an unfortunate map of one of the most gruesome tragedies in the modern history of Australia.

Is this criminal profiling?

During pregnancy, delivery and early childhood, Bryant had no abnormalities to indicate that he could be dangerous. However, when starting to grow to the crawling and wandering years of his childhood, Bryant proved that he was hard to contain, that his mother had to tie him with a leash in the house's balcony. An action that had been criticised by neighbours who saw the mother's behaviour as inhumane. Although there is not much known about Bryant's relationship with his mother, the woman gained more resentment when she announced in a TV interview that she still does not believe her son is responsible for the massacre. The stoic demeanour and passive attitude of the mother had raised speculations that she is definitely playing a big role in who her son became. The mother does not express shame or regret for what had happened, yet she is drowned in self-pity shown in her words when she spoke about how the commuity looks at her.

Bryant's father, however, had been reported to be a family man who devoted his life to his children, especially his son. When Martin's behaviour began to be out of hand, and the boy started hurting his siblings, the family was divided into two houses, as the father and the son lived alone. There are indications of a family history of mental health issues, as this is evident in his father's fluctuating mental state. The father, who had to quit his job to devote his time to providing care for Martin, had a creeping sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Unconfirmed reports detailed that the deteriorated mental state of Maurice Bryant was because of his son's challenging behaviour and the refusal of the Martin family to sell him the Seascape Gate guesthouse.

During his youth and early adulthood years, Martin was not reported to have any jobs or qualifications. Martin was relying on disability payments. Important to note that he had no medical diagnosis to qualify him for the payment, except for word of mouth.

That was the case till his peculiar relationship with the older heiress Helen Harvey, who hired him as a gardener at the beginning. Then he was supposed to be working as an assistant for her to take care of her animals, however neighbours described the relationship more as an older aunt and a nephew who she spoiled. The relationship was not reported to be of a sexual nature.

In 1992 and 1993, Martin Bryant was faced with two tragic events that might have an element to his mental health state. In 1992, Ms Harvey lost her life in a car accident where Martin Bryant was the driver. Some reports stated that he premeditated the incident, but there is no evidence to prove that. Except for the motive as she left him her inheritance. After less than a year, Maurice Bryant committed suicide.

After these incidents, the neighbourhood noticed Martin Bryant's weird behaviours. His weird choice of clothes, his exhibited behaviours driving around the town and his constant interaction with sex workers.

As obvious premeditation for his crimes, Martin Bryant started to collect weapons illegally through newspaper advertisements and other means with no registration or licence.

Geoprofiling of Port Arthur massacre.

Martin Bryant started his rampage in the Seascape Gate guesthouse, where he murdered the owners David and Noelene Martin, who he saw as responsible for his father's suicide. However, instead of stopping there, which would be the case if it was revenge-led murder, Bryant drove his truck in an unsuspected manner for a 100 Kilometre. Bryant drove for more than an hour and half, stopping in a gas station and a supermarket, till arrived to the historic site, where he shot unsuspected victims that he had no prior relationship with most of them.

As most of serial killers whose last desire is to commit suicide in a cinematic way, after his crimes, Bryant went back to the Seascape Gate guesthouse with a hostage. He killed his hostage and was a stand with the police for two days before he sat fire on the property and himself. His life was saved by emergency services. Bryant was then taken to custody, where he was interviewed by police and he confessed.

His legal counsel assigned the forensic psychiatrist Paul Mullen, who witnessed that Bryant was not mentally ill, what is on contrast to what the court-assigned psychiatrist Ian Sale saw. In a televised interview, Bryant appeared laughing while talking about the crimes.

Martin Bryant has nothing to distint him from others, except for his troubled behaviours that took its first brutal turn, when Bryant sat fire on himself, and when asked on television if he would sit himself on fire again, a 9 years-old Martin stated in emotionless voice that he would.

Is this a criminal profiling?