Criminal Justice Act 1988, s 39

Assault (Common/Actual Bodily Harm)

The statutory wording, points to prove, defences and penalty — verified against legislation.gov.uk (current revised versions, July 2026).

What the law says

Assault (Common/Actual Bodily Harm) — topic/offence reference under Criminal Justice Act 1988, s 39.

CJS codes
Official CJS offence index (March 2026)
—Charged under the specific underlying offence code.

Points to prove

  • 1. Identify the conduct, state of affairs, or legal power described by Assault (Common/Actual Bodily Harm).
  • 2. Link that conduct to the statutory/common-law source: Criminal Justice Act 1988, s 39.
  • 3. Prove any required act, status, mental element, or circumstance contained in the offence/topic description.

Defences

  • No specific standalone defence was extracted from the source text; consider any applicable statutory defence, reasonable excuse, lawful authority, self-defence, necessity, consent, identification challenge, or other common-law defence on the facts.

Mode of trial & maximum penalty

Varies by offence / see legislation — Summary: 6 months' imprisonment and/or a fine (level 5)

Reference only — verify against current legislation and force policy before charge. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Sources

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