Committing Crimes While Sleepwalking

I've seen some articles of people who commit crimes while they are sleeping. Some are set free, and some are charged. What is the right verdict?

Here are some cases of people murdering or injuring people while they were sleepwalking.

In 1987, in Ontario, Canada, Kenneth Parks stabbed his mother-in-law to death. He claims he fell asleep watching television, and, while sleeping, drove to the home of his wife's parents, bludgeoned his mother-in-law to death with a tire iron and also injured his father-in-law.

In 1992, in Brisbane, Australia, Bernard Charles Brown shot his wife twice and then hit her with a claw hammer. He pleaded not guilty because he had been sleepwalking.

A man in British Columbia, Canada, claimed he was asleep when he stabbed his wife 26 times, hid her body, grabbed some money, packed a bag and flew to Mexico. Guess what? He didn't wake up until he crossed the Mexican border!

Should they still be charged with their crimes? They did the crime.

But their actions aren't voluntary, right? So what do you do?

Should it go case by case? Maybe the person blamed sleepwalking when they really knew what they were doing. But maybe they really were sleepwalking, and then their life is destroyed over something they didn't realize they were doing.

Hmmm sounds rather dodgy to me!!

BTW I am asleep right now.

Can I still be banned from ATS for sleep posting stuff like. I like to ... and such and such a member is such a member!!

Sleepy MonKey

the last story does sound a wee bit dodgy indeed but sleepwalking certainly is very strange in itself

I'll take this seriously......

If you are asleep and commit a crime, then dependent on the crime (no harm etc), then you are innocent.

If this becomes a pattern, you need medical care (very social NHS, we don't need MediCare for that one).

If it harms someone, then the example has to be set.

More seriously, I find more interest in random questions on ATS.

Sleepwalking is a subject I don't know much about. I probably need to understand it better.
However, I can't believe the people in the above news items wouldn't wake up from the physical exertion involved, not to mention the screaming. If nobody or nothing could awaken them, then that would go way beyond sleep. That would be unconsciousness. As far as I know, nobody who's unconscious would be able to do those things. If I were a juror, I would be very sceptical.