“AUTOMATISM” THEORY

Taranaki Daily News, 10 June 1932, Page 9

“AUTOMATISM” THEORY

murderer acquitted.

"A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT.”

Sydney, June 4.

Th© trial of Alfred Ball for the murder of Mrs. Sims came to an unexpected close thin 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 this 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 doing. 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 be known.” But the Judge observed, that such a verdict might easily establish, 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-slashing; 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.