First time assault penalties and guide in New South Wales

A first time assault is defined as an offender with no prior assault offence or conviction who commits an assault offence against one or more victims. The absence of an assault conviction against an offender charged with assault can be taken as a mitigating factor on sentence because it can therefore reflect good character. This can have the effect of reducing the sentence.

An accused person who is charged with an assault offence who pleads not guilty to defend it can use the absence of an assault offence on their record as a reasons why it is therefore more unlikely that he or she committed the assault offence on this occasion because of their otherwise good character.

Our  criminal lawyers Sydney team outline a list of some common first time assault offences and their maximum penalties in New South Wales in this article as a guide.