Sleepwalking: Insanity or Automatism?
AbstractThe article discusses the relationship between somnambulism, automatism and insanity in the context of criminal responsibility. In a number of recent cases medical evidence has questioned the traditional belief of sleepwalking as a form of automatism in favour of a state of mental abnormality or insanity. The respective roles of the prosecution and defence in leading evidence related to such cases and the implications for defences under the existing and proposed amendments to the Queensland Criminal Code are discussed. |