“assault” means
(a) any act by a person involving the application of force, directly or indirectly, to the body of
another person, whereby bodily harm is caused to that other person; or
(b) any act by a person that causes, directly or indirectly, the injection into or application to the body
of another person of any substance without that person’s consent; or
(c) any act by a person that causes any substance to be consumed by another person without that
person’s consent;
“bodily harm” means any harm causing pain or discomfort to the body, or any impairment of the body or its
functions, whether temporary or permanent.
89 Assault
(1) Any person who
(a) commits an assault upon another person intending to cause that other person bodily harm or realising
that there is a real risk or possibility that bodily harm may result; or
(b) threatens, whether by words or gestures, to assault another person, intending to inspire, or realising that
there is a real risk or possibility of inspiring, in the mind of the person threatened a reasonable fear or
belief that force will immediately be used against him or her;
shall be guilty of assault and liable to a fine up to or exceeding level fourteen or imprisonment for a period not
exceeding ten years or both.
(2) It shall be no defence to a charge of assault that, at the time the fear or belief referred to in parag raph (b)
of subsection (1) is inspired, the person inspiring such fear or belief lacks the ability to effect his or her purpose.
(3) In determining an appropriate sentence to be imposed upon a person convicted of assault, and without
derogating from the court’s power to have regard to any other relevant considerations, a court shall have regard to
the following
(a) the age and physical condition of the person assaulted;
(b) the degree of force or violence used in the assault;
(c) whether or not any weapon was used to commit the assault;
(d) whether or not the person carrying out the assault intended to inflict serious bodily harm;
(e) whether or not the person carrying out the assault was in a position of authority over the person
assaulted;
(f) in a case where the act constituting the assault was intended to cause any substance to be consumed by
another person, the possibility that third persons might be harmed thereby, and whether such persons
were so harmed.
90 Negligently causing serious bodily harm
Any person who by any act whatsoever causes serious bodily harm to another person negligently failing to
realise that serious bodily harm may result from his or her conduct or negligently failing to guard against that
possibility shall be guilty of negligently causing serious bodily harm and liable to a fine not exceeding level ten or
imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or both.
91 Assault of person other than intended victim
If a person commits or attempts to commit an assault upon a person and in so doing causes bodily harm to
someone other than his or her intended victim, he or she shall be guilty of the following crimes
(a) in respect of the person who was his or her intended victim, assault or attempted assault, whichever is
appropriate in the circumstances;
(b) in respect of the person who was not his or her intended victim
(i) assault, if he or she realised that there was a real risk or possibility that bodily harm might be
caused to that person; or
(ii) negligently causing serious bodily harm, if he or she did not intend to cause that person such
injury and did not realise that there was a real risk or possibility that such injury might be caused
to that person, but was negligent in failing to realise it.
PART V
C RIMES INVOLVING INFRINGEMENT OF LIBERTY, D IGNITY, PRIVACY OR REPUTATION
92 Interpretation in Part V of Chapter V
In this Part
“adult” means a person who is of the age of eighteen years or above;
“child” means a person who is under the age of eighteen years;
“lawful custodian”, in relation to a child, means the child’s parent or lawful guardian or any person who has
been given custody of the child by the child’s parent or legal guardian or by virtue of an order of a court;
“parent” means a natural or adoptive parent;
Select target paragraph3
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