Assault occasioning actual bodily harm, often abbreviated ABH, is a statutory offense of aggravated assault in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Hong Kong and the Solomon Islands. It has since been abolished in Ireland and South Australia, in each case replaced with a broadly similar offense. The charge sits above simple assault and below more serious wounding offenses in these jurisdictions' hierarchy of assault charges, requiring proof that the assault caused real, if not necessarily lasting, physical injury.
Facts
Classification CodeSection 47, Offences against the Person Act 1861 1 Typical PenaltyUp to five years imprisonment on indictment (England and Wales) 1 Elements of OffenseAn assault causing bodily harm, meaning any hurt or injury calculated to interfere with the health or comfort of the victim 1 Jurisdiction VariationAustralian courts treat harm as actual bodily harm if it is more than merely transient or trifling; Ireland abolished the offense and replaced it under the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997 1 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Sources
1. Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm (Wikipedia)
United Kingdom section, Sentence
a person guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm is liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years
United Kingdom section, The offence
section 47 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861
United Kingdom section, Actual bodily harm
bodily harm has its ordinary meaning and includes any hurt or injury calculated to interfere with the health or comfort of the prosecutor
Australia section, Assault occasioning actual bodily harm
anything interfering with the health or comfort of victim which is more than merely transient or trifling has been held
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