“AUTOMATISM” THEORY

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 June 1932, Page 8

“AUTOMATISM” THEORY

MURDERER ACQUITTED. SYDNEY, June 4. The trial of Alfred Ball for the mur. der of Mfs Sims came to an unexpected close this week. The defence at [the last moment called a specialist in mental diseases, Dr Haslett Fraser, who emphasised the facts that Ball was “simple-minded,” that his mother was an epileptic, and his father was a maniacal drunkard, and he drew the inference that it was quite possible for Ball to have murdered the woman in a jealous frenzy without being in the least aware of what he was do-

ing. According to Dr Fraser —and he could quote many alienists in support of his views “automatism,” which is a condition distinct from insanity, because the person regains normal consciousness later, might well account for such a tragedy as this. The jury then brought in a verdict of “not guilty” on the ground of temporary insanity, and the judge was compelled to accept the verdict and order Ball to be confined at Long Bay “till the pleasure of the Crown should bo known.” But the judge observed that such a verdict might easily estab-

lish a very dangerous precedent, and the wisdom of his warning was to be proved sooner than he might have expected, Later in the week he had to .sentence Edward Fielding to three years’ imprisonment for razor-slash-ing; and in this case the'defence was that the crime was due to “sudden

and uncontrollable, impulse.” The judge, no doubt, with the Ball case in his mind, observed that “to accept lightly theories of irresistible impulse Would be no less dangerous than to give effect to a verdict of automatism. It; would seem to the layman that if the Courts are to be asked to accept this “automaton” doctrine, or the Jekyll-and-Hyde theory of alternating personalities, as an excuse for murder there will be an end of all punishment for crime.