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28 Jan 2022

Have you been accused of committing grievous bodily harm (GBH) but feel it was done lawfully?

Do you need someone to fight your corner?

One of the 4 types of assault in the UK, grievous bodily harm is when somebody inflicts serious bodily harm on someone else. In recent times, the definition of GBH has been adapted to also include psychological issues caused by violence and threats, such as PTSD and Complex PTSD.

If you have been accused of GBH and need someone to help you, please call our team.

At ABV Solicitors, our criminal solicitor has defended many people who have been accused and charged with GBH and can assist you every step of the way with the process from courtroom appearances and police station interviews. Perfect!

Here, our criminal solicitor also provides a bit more in-depth information about grievous bodily harm, allowing you to learn about it quickly and make sense of it if you have recently been accused or arrested for it. So, enjoy!

What falls under GBH?

In the UK, GBH will be considered the suitable charge if you have committed any of the following actions;

• Visual disfigurement; for example, a fractured skull or a psychiatric illness that can present itself physically, such as self-injury caused by PTSD or depression.
• Striking someone with a blunt object; for example, a piece of wood or a golf club.
• Attacking someone with a sharp object; for example, a knife or a piece of broken glass.
• Deliberately running someone over in a car, van or another vehicle.
• Acid attacks.

If you have been accused of any of the above actions, then please contact our criminal solicitor for legal representation as soon as possible.

How does it differ from actual bodily harm (ABH)?

ABH is deemed the appropriate charge when the alleged victim has injuries that are not serious but do cause physical discomfort and do not cause permanent damage.

A typical example could be extensive bruising, loss of consciousness (temporary), slashes or cuts that are not as extreme as wounding and minor bone fractures.

Section 18 and sentencing

GBH is taken extremely seriously in the eyes of the law and, depending on the severity of the incidents that have led to your being arrested and charged with this crime, you could face life imprisonment.

However, for this to occur, your conduct surrounding the assault has to be deemed to fall under Section 18 offence.

Section 18, in short, is when you intentionally meant to harm the victim but it can be hard to prove if this was actually your intention. And while you may think that an instance of you being intoxicated (e.g. drunk) will reduce the sentence or severity of a GBH charge, this is rarely the case as Section 18 looks at the intention.

Section 20 and lawful incidents of GBH

Of course, under Section 20, there are cases in which GBH can be committed lawfully or if you were not intending to hurt the victim.

These include if you were defending yourself, in the prevention of crime e.g. you were stopping someone from attacking someone else), in defence of property or another person or where the victim has given consent (e.g. at a martial arts recital that went wrong).