<p>Automatism has developed as a defence under the common law for a long period of time and is a full defence to a criminal charge where the defendant’s consciousness was so impaired that they were acting in a state of physical involuntariness.</p><p> </p><p>The Government understands how difficult it must be for innocent victims of acts for which automatism may be a defence to accept that in law no one is to blame but we believe it remains unjust to punish someone for something they genuinely had no control over.</p><p> </p>