Chapter 5 Key facts checklist

Non-fatal offences against the person
  • There are five principal offences examined in this chapter, namely assault and battery (the common assaults) and the offences under ss 47, 20, and 18 Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (referred to as the OAPA).
  • There are many other non-fatal offences against the person (eg poisoning, gassing) but they do not feature on most criminal law programmes, so are not covered here.
  • The victim’s consent may negate the offence, but whether or not it does depends to a great extent on the type of crime, what the victim knows, the extent of the harm which is caused, and matters of public policy.
  • Stalking, harassment, and coercive control are crimes in certain circumstances.
  • Four of the principal assaults are aggravated if the crime committed is motivated by religious or racial hatred.
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