No doubt you would have seen in the news recently that people
protesting against COVID-19-related restrictions have been charged
with several different types of assault. You might be wondering why
this is and more importantly, does this make a difference? The
short answer is - yes it does. The differences are discussed
below.
Assault
There are many different ways assault can be charged. Some common
questions we get asked are:
I only pushed this person, can police still charge me with
assault?
Yes. To prove an assault there does not need to be an
'injury' (although sometimes there is). Generally, it only
requires that you apply 'force' to someone else. In some
instances, assault can also be established where the victim is in
fear of the use of force without any physical touching taking
place.
