Assault

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the criminal act. For tortious aspects of assault, see Assault (tort). For
other uses, see Assault (disambiguation).
"Assailants" redirects here. For the EP by Lydia, see Assailants (EP).

Criminal law
Elements

Actus reus

Mens rea

Causation

Concurrence
Scope of criminal liability

Complicity

Corporate

Vicarious
Seriousness of offense

Felony
Infraction (also called Violation)

Misdemeanor
Inchoate offenses

Attempt

Conspiracy

Incitement

Solicitation

Offence against the person

Assassination

Assault

Battery

Bigamy

Criminal negligence

False imprisonment

Home invasion

Homicide

Kidnapping

Manslaughter (corporate)

Mayhem

Murder

corporate

Negligent homicide

Public indecency

Rape
Robbery

Sexual assault

Vehicular homicide
Crimes against property

Arson
Blackmail

Bribery

Burglary

Embezzlement

Extortion

False pretenses

Fraud

Larceny

Payola

Pickpocketing

Possessing stolen property

Robbery

Smuggling

Tax evasion

Theft

Crimes against justice

Compounding

Malfeasance in office

Miscarriage of justice

Misprision

Obstruction

Perjury

Perverting the course of justice

Victimless crimes

Adultery

Apostasy

Blasphemy

Buggery

Providing Contraception information(Comstock law)

Dueling
Fornication

Gambling

Adult incest

Lewd and lasciviousbehavior

Masturbation

Creation of Obscenity

Prostitution

Recreational drug use(including alcohol,

when prohibited)

Sale of sex toys

Sodomy
Statutory rape

Suicide

Crimes against animals

Cruelty to animals

Wildlife smuggling

Bestiality
Defences to liability

Automatism

Consent
Defence of property

Diminished responsibility

Duress
Entrapment

Ignorantia juris non excusat

Infancy

Insanity
Justification

Mistake (of law)

Necessity

Provocation

Self-defence
Other common-law areas

Contracts

Evidence

Property

Torts
Wills, trusts and estates
Portals

Criminal justice

Law

In criminal and civil law, assault is an attempt to initiate harmful or offensive contact with a
person, or a threat to do so.[1] It is distinct from battery, which refers to the actual achievement
of such contact.
An assault is carried out by a threat of bodily harm coupled with an apparent, present ability to
cause the harm. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in either criminal and/or
civil liability. Generally, the common law definition is the same in criminal and tort law. There is,
however, an additional criminal law category of assault consisting of an attempted but
unsuccessful battery. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact.
The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes
another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more limited sense of a
threat of violence caused by an immediate show of force.[2][3] Assault in many US
jurisdictions[which?] and Scotland is defined more broadly still as any intentional physical contact
with another person without their consent; but in England and Wales and in most[citation
needed]

other common law jurisdictions in the world, this is defined instead as battery. Some

jurisdictions have incorporated the definition of civil assault into the definition of the crime
making it a criminal assault intentionally to cause another person to apprehend a harmful or
offensive contact.
Contents
[hide]

1Related definitions
o

1.1Battery

1.2Aggravated assault

2Defenses
o

2.1Consent

2.2Arrest and other official acts

2.3Punishment

2.4Prevention of crime

2.5Defense of property

3Regional details
o

3.1Canada

3.2India

3.3Nigeria

3.4Pacific Islands

3.5Republic of Ireland

3.6South Africa

3.7United Kingdom
3.7.1England and Wales

3.7.1.1Aggravated assaults

3.7.2Scotland

3.7.3Northern Ireland

3.8Australia

3.9United States

3.10Ancient Greece
4See also

5References

6Notes

7External links