Are you unsure if you need an assault and violence lawyer to represent you? Finding out exactly what assault and violence lawyers cover and whether they are the right option for you can be challenging, especially if you have never needed legal assistance or advice before. To help you determine if an assault and violence lawyer is right for you, we have outlined the charges they cover.
10 offences covered by assault and violence lawyers
Assault and violence lawyers will cover a variety of charges, including grievous bodily harm, assault, strangulation, and attempted murder, to name a few. To provide you with a better idea of the offences covered, we have outlined the primary offences assault and violence lawyers handle:
- Affray
Affray is charged when a person is involved in a fight that causes alarm to people who witness it in public. Typically, when handling cases of affray, defence strategies include asking:
- Was the fight of such a nature to alarm the public?
- Did the fight happen in public?
- Accessory to murder
Accessory to murder is charged when someone helps another person who has committed a murder. They might have assisted them in hiding or any task relating to the murder. The defence will need to determine if there is enough evidence to prove the person committed the act and whether it was done to further or conceal the murder.
- Assault occasioning bodily harm (AOBH)
Assault occasioning bodily harm is charged when another person injures the victim and their injury impacts their health or comfort. Defence strategies for AOBH usually involve:
- Examine whether you have defences like self-defence or provocation available
- Examine if the injury meets the requirements for AOBH
- Is there enough evidence to prove you committed the offence?
- Attempted murder
Attempted murder is charged when a person tries to kill another person intentionally. The defence will focus on asking the prosecution to prove the acts were an attempt to kill another person intentionally.
- Common assault
Common assault is charged when the victim is injured by someone else through physical force without their consent or is threatened with violence. Their injury could be caused by striking, touching, moving, or applying force to the victim. A defence strategy can include asking:
- Is there sufficient evidence to prove you committed the offence?
- Examining the conduct to ensure it meets the requirements of assault
- Examining whether you can use the defence of self-defence or provocation
- Grievous bodily harm (GBH)
Grievous bodily harm is related to a serious injury and is charged when a victim loses part of their body, an organ, or is seriously disfigured. It can also be charged if any untreated injury endangers a person’s life or permanently damages their health.
Defence strategies for GBH typically include:
- Is there sufficient evidence to prove you committed the offence?
- Examine medical material to ensure the injury meets the definition of GBH
- Examine whether you have any defences like self-defence or provocation available
- Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a charge relating to death when someone causes a person’s death, but did not intend to. Common defence strategies for manslaughter include arguing the act was due to:
- Self-defence
- Compulsion
- Extraordinary emergency
- Insanity
- Involuntariness
- Intoxication
- Industrial manslaughter
Industrial manslaughter is charged when someone’s negligent actions cause a worker to die at work or to die later as a result of injuries sustained at work. Defence strategies will focus on seeing whether the employer should be held accountable for the workplace risk.
- Strangulation and choking
Strangulation and choking are charged when the victim has their breathing interfered with by someone with whom they share a domestic relationship. The charge encompasses a victim’s breathing being stopped or their neck being grabbed without their consent.
Defence strategies for strangulation and choking work to determine if the victim’s breath was actually restricted.
- 10.Verbal threats and intimidation
Charges of verbal threats and intimidation can be levied when a person threatens to cause a detriment to another person. There may be an intent to prevent or hinder the person from doing something they are entitled to do. It can also be charged when a treat is made to cause public anxiety or alarm. Typical defence strategies for verbal threats and intimidation charges include asking:
- Can it be proved the person charged made the threat?
- Was there a threat?
- Was the threat sufficient to meet the requirements of a threat as required by law?
Find your assault and violence lawyers today
Assault and violence lawyers cover a wide range of charges, including the ten that we outlined above. Should you find yourself accused of or charged with one of these, don’t hesitate to reach out to assault & violence lawyers for the guidance and support you need.
