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“In considering the seriousness of any offence, the court must consider the offender’s culpability in committing the offence and any harm which the offence caused, was intended to cause or might foreseeably have caused.”
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- Introduction
- Summary only Offences
- Either Way Offences
- Indictable-Only Offences
- Selecting The Most Appropriate Charge Or Charges
- Acceptability of Pleas
This guidance is intended to assist prosecutors by outlining key offences against the person and in particular, to assist with selecting the appropriate charge where there may be a choice. It is not an exhaustive account of all offences against the person but rather a guide to some key offences. In some circumstances prosecutors should also conside...
These offences carry a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment. The statutory time limit in section 127 Magistrates’ Court 1980will apply: proceedings must be commenced within 6 months of the date the offence was committed. Note the exception for domestic abuse battery, below.
The offences which are triable either in the magistrates’ court or Crown Court vary in their maximum penalty between 2 years’ imprisonment and 5 years.
The following offences triable only in the Crown Court carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The following approach process may assist prosecutors. First, determine the level of injury. Second, take a step back and, taking into account all the circumstances, select the appropriate charge.
Prosecutors should apply section 9 of the Code for Crown Prosecutors when deciding whether to accept pleas and also have regard to the Attorney General's Guidelines on the Acceptance of Pleas and the Prosecutor's Role in the Sentencing Exercise. The case strategy in an offence against the person case will consider the offer of pleas, if they are ac...
Oct 15, 2024 · A person, acting in pursuance of a suicide pact between themselves and another, who kills the other or is a party to the other being killed by a third person, is guilty of manslaughter and not...
Aug 25, 2022 · The legislation goes on to provide a definition of ‘serious harm’ in section 75A(6) SCA 2015 as: grievous bodily harm (GBH) within the meaning of section 18 of the Offences Against the Person...
Jan 31, 2018 · There are three basic types of assault offence set out in law – common assault, actual bodily harm (ABH) and wounding / grievous bodily harm (GBH). They are primarily defined by the harm caused to the victim – with common assault at the lower end of harm and GBH at the upper end.
The OASys risk assessment tool defines “serious harm” as: “an event which is life threatening and/or traumatic and from which recovery, whether physical or psychological, can be expected to be “difficult or impossible”.
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For offences where there is no requirement for the offender to have any level of intention, recklessness, negligence, dishonesty, knowledge, understanding or foresight for the offence to be made out, the range of culpability may be inferred from the circumstances of the offence as follows:
