Last month, a murder trial was halted in Swansea after the Crown Prosecution Service accepted that Brian Thomas, a 59-year-old man from Neath in mid-Glamorgan, had not been aware of his actions when he killed his partner as he dreamed he was battling an intruder.

One of those called as a defence witness for Mr Thomas was Dr Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Clinic and someone who has been involved in sleep research for more than 20 years.

Tests carried out by Dr Idzikowski on the defendant confirmed that he suffered from night terrors and, as a result of this, he was in a state of "automatism" where his mind was not in control of his body when he strangled his partner.

According to Dr Idzikowski, who lives in Dromore, Co Down, where he is also a co-director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service in Lisburn, claiming to have attacked another individual while asleep has been a credible defence since medieval times.

Moreover, he says it has long been common knowledge that some people can act violently towards others while having nightmares, but that this rarely makes it to court due to embarrassment on the part of those involved in such incidents, and because the attacks aren't usually serious enough to warrant medical assistance. (Irish Times)