Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm is one of the most common offences that our criminal lawyers fight.  Our defence lawyers are recognised as some of the best in Sydney for defending clients across all criminal law matters.  If you need representation, get in touch with the Australian Criminal Law Group team today.

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm criminal lawyers

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm is one of the most common offences that our criminal lawyers fight. This is where a person has suffered an injury following a fight or domestic violence incident.

Unfortunately, police frequently charge people with Assault occasioning bodily harm when they have acted in self-defence, but their attacker has come off worse. We have also recently seen increased incidences of spouses making up allegations and self-harming to compel the police to press charges against the partner. This can lead to immeasurable stress and Apprehended Violence Orders that prevent fathers, mothers, and children from living together.

Ways that our criminal lawyers can beat charges of Assault occasioning actual bodily harm for our clients include by raising self-defence

If you intend to plead guilty our criminal lawyers have a proven track record of keeping our clients out of gaol as well as having no conviction recorded for Assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

How do I beat a charge of Assault occasioning actual bodily harm?

If you are charged with Assault occasioning actual bodily harm, we can help you. You’ll be found not guilty of Assault occasioning bodily harm if the police are unable to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you:

  1. Assaulted a person; and
  2. Because of that assault, the person suffered actual bodily harm.

An assault can be reckless or intentional. Recklessness in terms of assault is established when you foresee the likelihood of inflicting injury or fear and ignore the risk.

An injury will be actual bodily harm if it is not permanent but greater than merely transient and trifling. Scratches have been held to be actual bodily harm and fractures of bones have been too.

Defences available include self-defence.

Pleading guilty to Assault occasioning actual bodily harm

If you committed the offence and the police can prove so, we want to get you a better result than anyone else. We often negotiate with prosecutors for you to plead guilty to less serious facts or even a less serious charge, so you get a lighter sentence.

The maximum penalty for Assault occasioning actual bodily harm is five years imprisonment in the District Court or two years imprisonment in the Local Court. Although, these penalties are typically reserved for the worst offenders.

You can read about all the sentencing options that a court has, including having no conviction recorded for Assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Do I need references?

We believe references are an extremely important part of a plea of guilty in court.  Find out more about how to write a good reference, at our court references page.

Why choose the Australian Criminal Law Group?

Our criminal lawyers are experts at obtaining the best outcome possible for Assault occasioning actual bodily harm offences. For these offences, a good lawyer can be the difference between a conviction and no criminal record and freedom or gaol.

To discuss your Assault occasioning actual bodily harm charge, call the Australian Criminal Law Group at our Sydney, Parramatta, and Blacktown offices or make a website inquiry today.

Case Study

Australian Criminal Law Group represented a client charged with assault occasioning bodily harm against his girlfriend. The girlfriend failed to report the allegation to the police for more than 24 hours. Criminal lawyer Joe Correy called alibi evidence from the father of the client who said his son had been at home with him at the time of the alleged assault. Joe pointed out the injury could have occurred any time in the 24 hours that passed since the client and girlfriend were together. The Magistrate found our client not guilty.

Case study

Mr Mercael represented a woman who had been subject to a horrendous and traumatising career assisting police and the armed forces. She dealt with death and violence as a normal part of day-to-day life. She was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm when she “glassed” a person while drinking at a pub. Mr Mercael was able to prove that his client was not of a sound mind at the time of offending and due to her significant trauma and exposure. He asserted she should be dealt with by way of Section 32 (now section 14). The magistrate agreed, and not only did his client avoid prison, but she also didn’t receive a conviction.

Case study

Australian Criminal law Group represented a father charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm after striking his son more than 60 times with a stick, causing bruising all over his body. After hearing criminal lawyer Joe Correy made submissions on the unique circumstances of the family the magistrate did not record a conviction.

Case study

Australian Criminal Law Group represented a client charged with assault bodily harm after punching a security guard and giving him a black eye. After hearing submissions from criminal lawyer Deng Adut about the mental health issues of our client and his efforts to address them, the court did not record a conviction.

Case Study

Criminal lawyer Joe Correy appeared for a client who the police were alleging had committed an unprovoked and violent attack on his father-in-law. The client said that the father-in-law had attacked his heavily pregnant wife. The wife gave a statement to the police supporting our client. We subpoenaed a Triple 0 call made by his wife and obtained photos of her and his injuries. After two days of cross-examination, the Magistrate found the father-in-law was an unreliable witness. Our client was found not guilty because of self-defence.

Case study

Mr Mercael represented a mother of three who was charged with assault for disciplining her children. A gross overstating of the facts made it almost guaranteed that her children were going to be living without their mother. And that she, a nurse, would be marred by a conviction forever. After a relentless negotiation with the prosecution over some weeks, a Section 10 no conviction was granted.

 

 

Source:

Crimes Act 1900 No 40, Current version for 1 January 2022 to date (accessed 7 March 2022 at 21:52) https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1900-040

 


This information is intended as a general guide to law only.  It should not be relied on as legal advice, and it is recommended that you speak with a qualified lawyer about your situation.

Australian Criminal Law Group and its suppliers make every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy and validity of the information provided on its web pages. At the time of updating, this information was correct, however, given the laws in NSW and Australia are continually changing, Australian Criminal Law Group makes no warranties or representations as to its accuracy. 

 

 

 

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