Assault

If you are charged with assault and this is your first or second offence, you may be eligible for a diversion program that will result in the charges against you being withdrawn. These programs will require that you to accept responsibility for your actions and that you complete a program designed for you by a probation officer. The programs that you will be required ...

Because every case is different, the best defence to an assault charge will depend heavily on the particular circumstances of the offence. However, the following are some potential defences to the charge of assault: Consent: Consent may be a defence when defending assault charges. The burden is on the Crown Prosecutor to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person who was allegedly assaulted ...

Author’s note: Please note that the term ‘victim’ is used throughout this article to reflect commonly used informal terminology. However, in the criminal justice system, the term ‘victim’ applies only after a guilty verdict is reached. Otherwise, this individual is referred to as a ‘complainant’.   Disclaimer: This article serves to provide information to allow a victim to explore their ...

Aggravated assault is a very serious offence that is committed when you wound, maim, disfigure, or endanger the life of someone else. You will have “wounded” someone when you did something that caused their skin to break or bruise. You will have “maimed” someone when you have injured them so that their ability to fight is impeded, and you will have “disfigured” someone when ...

What is Assault with a Weapon or Assault Causing Bodily Harm? Section 267 of the Criminal Code makes it an offence to assault another person with a weapon, and to cause bodily harm to another person by assaulting them. For the purposes of this offence, a weapon is anything used to cause death or injury to someone or to threaten or intimidate someone. Because ...

A person commits assault when he or she, directly or indirectly, intentionally or recklessly applies force to a person, or threatens to apply force to a person without that person’s consent. A person also commits assault when he or she spits on another person, or if he or she accosts or impedes another person or begs while carrying a weapon or an imitation of ...

Award-winning actor Will Smith shocked the crowd (and the world) at the 2022 Oscars when he slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The joke was about Pinkett Smith’s baldness—which is caused by the medical condition alopecia. While it is reported that Rock decided against filing a police report, the event led many ...