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Thank you Armstrong Legal, the lawyers that have helped over the past 3 years but more importantly, thank you to Thomas Allen for the major part you and Mr Buckland played. Cannot thank you enough. Cheers.
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Hi all. I would like to thank Ms Lisa Riley for all her help with my legal issues this past month. It was the most harrowing experience of my life and thanks to her expertise, professionalism and knowledge of the law, I came out almost unscathed. I have no hesitation in recommending Lisa Riley and Armstrong Legal if you need help. The service is amazing and the cost was very minimal for the great outcome. Thank you Lisa for helping me in the most difficult time.
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I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. My whole life I was thrown away, you made me feel like I did mean something. I could not have asked for a better lawyer. Your compassion and love for your job is inspiring. Your upfront and honesty were muchly appreciated, you are a beautiful person. Thank you for not giving up on me and thank you for all the work you put in. I wish you all the best for the future and I will be recommending you to everyone I know. You're amazing!!!!
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I just wanted to thank you for representing me on Monday, I was overjoyed & relieved with the outcome. I don’t think it could have gone any better. All the best, I hope you got to celebrate this one instead after work, you forever made a difference in my life.
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I know I thanked you before we parted company but please allow me to reiterate in writing my sincere deepest thanks for defending me in court today. … Armstrong Legal certainly has a great Lawyer you are a credit to the company and I'm quite sure you will secure a very successful future! … My Kindest Regards and Thanks
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Throughout Angela has been the consummate professional. She maintained a calm, yet strong demeanour remained informative and completely open in her communication and took complete ownership of the situation. We felt confident we finally had an advocate to steer us out of the nightmare we were in, and she did so with great respect and sincerity. I cannot speak more highly of Angela. She has literally rescued our family from what looked very much like a hopeless future.
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Words can’t describe how grateful I am to Trudie Cameron being my solicitor and to Andrew Tiedt presenting my case in the court. They both have been very supportive and amazingly professional and effective. I’ve got an absolutely fantastic outcome I couldn’t even dream about.
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Soon after meeting Andrew I knew he was the solicitor I wanted to handle my matter. He immediately sprang into action which brought me stability and hope during a tumultuous time in my life. Andrew was never afraid to give me straight answers to my tough questions which is a true mark of integrity. He is clearly at ease in the court environment and I believe his calm and measured demeanour went a long way to helping me secure the best result from my day in court. I would certainly recommend you approach Andrew if you need assistance.
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"Andrew Tiedt was very professional and considerate to personal circumstances and gave sound advice that resulted in the best outcome possible. Highly recommended."
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This article was written by Michelle Makela - Legal Practice Director
Michelle has over 15 years experience in the legal industry, working across commercial litigation, criminal law, family law and estate planning. Michelle has been involved in all practice areas of the firm and in her personal practice has had experience in litigation at all levels (state and federal industrial tribunals, the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, Federal...
Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm
In New South Wales, an assault that results in actual bodily harm is a more serious offence than a simple assault. Assault occasioning actual bodily harm in governed by section 59 of the Crimes Act 1900 and is punishable by a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.
What is actual bodily harm?
Case law defines actual bodily harm as an injury that is “more than merely transient or fleeting.” Commonly, scratches and/or bruises to another person can be defined as actual bodily harm. On occasion, it can also cover serious psychological injuries.
Actual bodily harm is less serious than grievous bodily harm, which involves a really serious injury such as permanent disfigurement, a broken bone or the infection with a serious disease.
Jurisdiction
An assault occasioning bodily harm charge can be dealt with in the Local Court as a summary offence or in the District Court as an indictable offence.
Penalty for assault occasioning actual bodily harm
A person found guilty of an assault occasioning bodily harm is liable to imprisonment for up to five years. However, if the assault was committed in company with another person the accused is liable to up to seven years imprisonment.
If the offence is dealt with summarily, the maximum penalty that can be imposed is two years imprisonment.
Defences to assault occasioning actual bodily harm
A person charged with as assault occasioning actual bodily harm may rely on a number of legal defence, including the following.
Self-defence
A person is not guilty of an offence if there actions were necessary to defend themself or another person from a physical attack. Whether a person’s actions were necessary in self-defence is assessed based on all the circumstances including the nature of the threat that was faced and the characteristics of the accused, including their age, sex and size.
Duress
A person is not guilty of an offence if they were essentially ‘forced’ to commit the offence by another person making a serious threat to them or to another person if they do not comply. This defence is known as duress.
Causing dog to inflict actual bodily harm
A separate offence involving actual bodily harm also exists under the Crimes Act. This offence is causing a dog to inflict actual bodily harm and is contained in section 35A. This offence occurs when a person has control of a dog and causes the dog to inflict actual bodily harm on a person and is reckless to the injury that may be caused by the act. This offence is also punishable by up to five years imprisonment.
If you require legal advice or representation in any legal matter, please contact Armstrong Legal.
In New South Wales it is an offence to escape or try to escape from lawful custody, which is covered…
The right to freedom of political expression is protected under the Australian constitution. This includes taking part in peaceful protests.…
WHERE TO NEXT?
If you suspect that you may be under investigation, or if you have been charged with an offence, it is vital to get competent legal advice as early as possible. Our lawyers are highly specialised in criminal law and will be able to guide you through the process while dealing with the various authorities related to your matter.
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