Automatism

• Automatism was established through Lord Denning in Bratty v AG - "An act which is done by the muscles without any control by the mind such as spasm, a reflex action or a convulsion..."
• D's act must be completely involuntary

  • Must be a complete loss of control over their body - case of T
• Caused by an external factor:

  • Hypoglycaemia as seen in the case of Quick is automatism - low blood sugar and forgot to eat, the lack of food is an external factor
• The case of Hill v Baxter covers reflex actions, spasms and convultions
• If the condition is self-induced by being brought about through recklessness, the defence will not succeed - Bailey
• Complete defence leads to acquittal (not guilty)
• Specific intent: Self-induced automatism can succeed if it prevented D from possessing the mens rea

  Basic intent: If D was unaware that their actions would lead to an automatic state and was not reckless, the defence may succeed