Legal issues
Section 47 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 concerns assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The CPS guidance states that harm need not be permanent but must be more than transient and trifling.
For section 20, GBH means really serious harm and a wound requires a break in the continuity of the skin. The required mental element is different from section 18: for section 20 the suspect must intend or foresee that the act might cause some harm, whereas section 18 requires the relevant intent to cause GBH or wounding.
Charge selection is fact-specific. Injury, weapon use, duration and nature of the incident, prior threats or planning, admissions and the circumstances of the alleged assault can all be relevant. Where self-defence or another lawful justification is raised, the evidence supporting that account needs to be identified early.
Evidence that matters
Relevant evidence can include CCTV, doorbell footage, police body-worn video, 999 calls, photographs, medical records, witness statements, location evidence, messages before or after the incident, forensic evidence and records showing the sequence of events.
Medical evidence should be matched to the alleged mechanism and timing of injury rather than treated as a substitute for evidence about who caused it or with what intent. CCTV and body-worn footage may also show events before and after the moment of physical contact.
Reasonable lines of enquiry
Focused enquiries can include preservation and recovery of CCTV, body-worn video and 999 material; identification of independent witnesses; complete medical records where necessary; photographs; location or phone material; and evidence bearing on self-defence, identification, causation or intent.
Where several people were involved, the role of each suspect should be distinguished. A group incident should not be reduced to a single undifferentiated account if the available footage, witnesses or forensic material can identify who did what.
What happens next
The defence should establish the interview position, bail or RUI status, the injury relied on, whether medical evidence is complete, whether CCTV or body-worn footage has been obtained and whether further witnesses or forensic work are outstanding.
The CPS charging guidance, updated February 2026, requires prosecutors first to assess the level of injury and then step back and select the charge that properly reflects all the circumstances. The distinction between section 18 and section 20 requires direct attention to the evidence of intention or recklessness.
Where material evidence has not yet been obtained or the existing account materially overstates the role, injury, intent or context, focused reasonable enquiries or pre-charge representations may be appropriate before charge.
Immediate steps
Preserve photographs, messages and location material. Identify CCTV or doorbell cameras immediately because footage can be overwritten. Record independent witnesses and obtain the police reference, officer details, interview status and any bail conditions.
Do not contact a complainant or witness where prohibited or where doing so could create a new evidential issue. If self-defence is relied on, identify the evidence supporting the perceived threat, sequence of events and force used rather than reducing the account to a label.
What should you send us?
Send the allegation; police force and officer; interview date and outcome; bail or RUI status; next known date; injury description; photographs or medical material; CCTV, doorbell or body-worn-video details; witness information; relevant messages; and a short chronology of what happened before, during and after the alleged assault.