Crime Lecture - Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person
Transcript of Crime Lecture - Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person
Criminal Law – Non-FatalOffences against the Person
Robert Hiscocks
Offences
Assault
Battery
Offences Against thePerson Act 1861
– S 47: AssaultOccasioning ActualBodily Harm
– S 20: Wounding/InflictingGBH
– S 18 Wounding/causingGBH with intent
S 23: Administeringpoison so as toendanger life
S 24: Administeringpoison with intent
Assault & Battery
Common Law or Statutory Offences?
Criminal Justice Act 1988 s 39
DPP v Little
Common Law?
Assault
“Common Assault”
“Technical Assault”
“Assault properly so called”
An assault is any act which … causesanother person to apprehend immediate andunlawful personal violence: Fagan v MPCper James J
Assault: Actus Reus
(a) “Any Act”: includes words alone?
R v Mead & Belt
R v Wilson
R v Ireland/Burstow
(b) “Causes another person to apprehend …violence”
“Apprehend” = “Understand; perceive”:Compact OED
Assault: Actus Reus
What if the victim does not apprehendviolence?
R v Lamb
What if the Defendant is unable to carry outthe threat?
Logdon v DPP
What if the victim is unusually sensitive inperceiving threats?
Assault: Actus Reus
(c) “Personal Violence”
Ireland/Burstow
(d) “Immediate … personal violence”
Tuberville v Savage
Smith v Chief Supt Woking Police Station
R v Constanza
Ireland/Burstow
(e) “Unlawful violence”
Assault: Mens Rea
An assault is any act which intentionally – orpossibly recklessly – causes another personto apprehend immediate and unlawfulpersonal violence: Fagan
R v Venna
Battery
“A term used to mean the actual … use ofunlawful force to another person without hisconsent”: Fagan.
Actus Reus: the unlawful application of forceby the defendant upon the victim”Ireland/Burstow per Lord Steyn
Battery: Force
Can include any touch: Collins v Wilcock
Touching clothes: R v Thomas
No hostility required: Faulkner v Talbot
Indirect application of force
Haystead v DPP
DPP v K
Battery
Actus Reus
Failure to act
Fagan
R v Santana Bermudez
Act must be unlawful
Mens Rea
Intent/Recklessness as to applying force:Venna
Assault Occasioning Actual BodilyHarm
Offences Against the Person Act 1861 s 47
“Whosoever shall be convicted on indictmentof any assault occasioning actual bodilyharm shall be liable… to be imprisoned forany term not exceeding five years”
S 47: Actus Reus
“Assault”
Assault or Battery: DPP v Little
“Occasioning”
“Actual Bodily Harm”
R v Miller
R v Chan Fook
Injury “not be so trivial as to be whollyinsignificant”
“Actual Bodily Harm”
Does this include psychological injury?
Chan-Fook
Ireland/Burstow
S 47 Mens Rea
Intention/recklessness as to the assault orbattery
No mens rea required re any harm
R v Savage/Parmenter
OAPA ss 18 & 20
S 20
“Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciouslywound or inflict any grievous bodily harmupon any other person, either with or withoutany weapon or instrument, shall be guilty ofan offence.”
S 20: Actus Reus
“Wound”
“The continuity of the whole skin must bebroken”
Both layers of skin
C (a minor) v Eisenhower
S 20: Actus Reus
“Inflict any grievous bodily harm”
“Really serious harm”: DPP v Smith
“Serious harm”: R v Saunders
Psychological injury: Ireland/Burstow
“Inflicts”
R v Clarence
R v Wilson, Ireland/Burstow, R v Dica
S 20: Mens Rea
“Maliciously”
Intention or recklessness: R v Cunningham
As to causing some harm (not necessarilyserious): Savage/Parmenter
S 18
Actus Reus
“Wound” – see above
“Cause grievous bodily harm” – see above
“Cause” different to “inflict”?
Ireland/Burstow
Mens Rea
Intention to cause GBH
S 20 & s 18 – compare and contrast
Actus Reus
Wound or inflict GBH
Mens Rea
Intention/recklessnessre causing some harm
Actus Reus
Wound or cause GBH
Mens Rea
Intention to cause GBH
How serious is my injury?
CPS charging standards
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/section5/chapter_c.html
These are guidance, not law