Change to give protection to the blameless victims of the automatism defence

Rejected 17 signatures

What the petition asks

Create stricter rules where the defence of automatism is used, How many cases are not being brought to trial because prosecutors have lost confidence that they can challenge evidence? How aware are the police, while they are investigating a case, about people invoking automatism?

While the legal system rightly recognises that a person who acted involuntary due to a medical condition or external factor may not be morally at fault, this does not change the fact that real harm has been caused. The current system often leaves victims without justice, compensation, or closure. This creates a sense of injustice in the legal process while we protect the rights of defendants, we risk overlooking the suffering of innocent individuals. It’s not about punishing the blameless accused it’s about recognising the rights and needs of victims, and ensuring they are not forgotten in the pursuit of legal fairness

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.

We're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do.

We are not clear about whether you want the rules on when you can use an automatism defence tightened, or if you want some other way of disposing of cases when an automatism defence succeeds.

Timeline

18 Apr 2025	Petition opened for signatures
9 May 2025	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 17

Status Rejected

Rejected 9 May 2025

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