Armed with Intent

Our expert criminal lawyers for armed with intent offences can help you:

• Obtain bail.
• Be found not guilty.
• Receive a lenient sentence, like no conviction and no prison.

You will be represented by a team of award-winning criminal lawyers, with 500+ five-star Google reviews, who offer fixed fees and free first consultations.

You can read our reviews here.

Armed with Intent

Being charged with being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence is a serious matter. However, these charges are often successfully defended or result in outcomes where no conviction is recorded. 

We are also seeing an increase in these charges arising in domestic violence contexts, where allegations may be exaggerated or fabricated. These situations can lead to significant stress and restrictive orders that impact family life.

Where a plea of guilty is appropriate, we focus on keeping our clients out of custody and avoiding a criminal record wherever possible.

Pleading not guilty to armed with intent

If you plead not guilty, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you: 

1. Were armed with a weapon or instrument; and 
2. Intended to commit an indictable offence 

You can read more information about pleading not guilty here.

What does armed mean

Being armed means having immediate physical possession of a weapon or instrument. It must be actual possession, not just knowledge of its existence. A weapon can include anything capable of being used to cause harm, depending on the circumstances.

What does intent mean 

Intent involves foreseeing that outcome as an inevitable consequence of your actions. If the prosecution cannot prove that outcome

Defences

Common defences include:

• No possession of a weapon.
• No intention to commit an indictable offence.
• Lawful excuse for possessing the item.
• Self-defence. 
• Unreliable witnesses. 

Pleading guilty to armed with intent

If you decide to plead guilty, our focus is on achieving the best possible outcome and avoiding harsh penalties. We negotiate with the police to reduce the charge or negotiate the agreed facts. 

The maximum penalty for this offence is 7 years’ imprisonment. 

You can read more about pleading guilty here.

Do I need references?

We believe references are an extremely important part of a plea of guilty in court. Read about court processes and how to write a good character reference.

Contact Australian criminal law group

Our criminal lawyers, with 500+ five-star Google reviews, can beat your armed with intent charge to obtain a lenient sentence for you if you plead guilty.

Call us on (02) 8815 8167 for your free first conference or submit a website enquiry.

Case Studies 

Charge withdrawn – downgraded offence

Our lawyer represented a teenager charged with armed with intent. The allegation was that the teenager had ran up to another teenager who had been stabbed and held a machete over him before he was scared away by a good Samaritan. Our lawyer made representations to the police that the conduct amounted to a common assault and the armed with intent charge was withdrawn. The Magistrate declined to record a conviction.

Not guilty – unreliable witness

Our lawyer represented a man charged armed with intent following an allegation he approached his stepfather and threatened to stab him before the supposed victim fled. Under our cross examination the victim contradicted his police statement, his evidence in chief. By the end of cross examination, he refused to adopt any version he had given. Following the cross examination, we elected not to call any evidence. The Magistrate at Blacktown Local Court stated he did not need to hear from the prosecution lawyer or defence lawyer. He dismissed the charge finding the alleged victim was unreliable, untruthful and without credit. Our client was found not guilty.