Walter M'Naghten (related case)

The M'Naghten Rule comes from a legal case involving Walter M'Naghten in 1843. He suffered from severe mental illness and believed the government was trying to harm him. When he attempted to kill the Prime Minister, he wasn’t aware that his actions were wrong due to his mental state. The case led to the establishment of the M'Naghten Rule, which is used in criminal law to determine if a defendant was legally insane at the time of a crime. It states that a person is not responsible if, because of mental illness, they did not understand what they were doing or that it was wrong.