Are You Facing Assault Charges and Feeling Clueless about How to Proceed? Criminal Lawyers Can Help!

Assault can refer to striking, moving, touching, or applying other types of direct or indirect forces to a person as a mode of threat or other means. If you look closely, you can be taken to task by the law even without acting on your intention. Such provisions are in place to ensure the sanctity and dignity of every human life and deter any reasonable threats to it. That’s why even a sign of a malicious act is considered assault. It also clarifies that Australian law courts can treat assault as an indictable offence, even though most cases are passed as a summary offence. Nevertheless, the legal body analyses various factors before clearing someone of the charges or pronouncing guilty. 

How do you protect yourself from facing rigorous penalties or a criminal record if this is your first time? Defence experts in Townsville criminal cases can come to your rescue. It would help if you had a good lawyer who understands the intricacies of the case and can guide you through the entire process safely. So, search for a local help. At the same time, learn about the nitty-gritty of assault cases to have confidence in your lawyer’s suggestions. Assault can be of several types. Let’s quickly get an idea about a few of them.

• Common Assault

Scuffle to threat forms this type of assault case. A person can be convicted depending on the situation’s intensity or threat. So, you can be charged for the scuffle, violent hand gestures, shoving or pushing, verbal threats, online or physical harassment, dangerous behaviour, spitting on someone or hitting them with an object, etc. If you do any such thing, your fate will be decided based on your criminal background, the extent of damage or injury caused to the person, and the seriousness of the offence. Typically, offenders have to face 18 months of jail and a fine. However, it will be three years and include a heftier fine for a case of aggravation.  

• Serious Assault

Any assault against the public or police officer on duty is a serious offence. Acts like spitting, biting, scaring, or threatening an officer can be a big mistake. Likewise, you can face severe penalties for doing any such thing to people with disability, seniors, assistant dogs, etc. Generally, a person is slapped with seven years of imprisonment in these cases. If someone intentionally attacks a police officer, it can amount to 14 years. In Queensland, assaults against police officers are given high importance. However, a person can subdue the intensity by apologising to the police officer and presenting a medical record that proves they suffer from the non-transferable disease, per the circumstances.

• Assault Occasioning Bodily Harm

This category refers to an assault in which the other person suffers injuries. Maximum imprisonment terms can be seven years. However, it can be ten years if the offender is armed and accompanied by more individuals. Convicts, in these cases, mostly land in jail. However, an efficient lawyer can help suspend the sentence or request parole per the circumstances.

Since legal processes tend to be complex and criminal charges require even better handling, you can consult a criminal lawyer to improve your situation. They can navigate you through the entire system to alleviate your troubles.