Crime XXXXXXXXIII – Assault V

In order to convict for assault the prosecution must establish that the assault was directed at the person and not at someone else despite the fact that the victim may apprehend immediate fear.

In R v Pembliton, (1874) the defendant was ejected from a pub and became involved in a fight with a group of men in the street. The defendant picked up a large stone and threw it at the men, but the stone missed and crashed through the pub window behind them.

The question that arose was whether malicious intention could be transferred, and it was held that malicious intention to strike a person or the intention to cause some form of injury to a person could not be transferred to breaking a shop window. However, the defendant could be found guilty if his actions were reckless.

In R v Martin (1881) the defendant shut the doors at a theater and placed a crossbar across the door. He then switched off the lights on a staircase and yelled “fire”. His actions caused a panic and some of those that were in attendance were injured when they rushed out.

It was held that the defendant, regardless of the fact that he was merely playing a prank, must be deemed to have intended the consequences of his actions and he was found guilty accordingly.

The decision in R v Wilson (1955) was followed in R v Constanza (1997). In R v Constanza (1997) the defendant for a period of almost two years followed a female ex-colleague from work, sent her over 800 threatening letters and made numerous silent phone calls to her number.

The victim was eventually diagnosed by a doctor as suffering from clinical depression and anxiety due to fear caused by the defendant’s actions. The defendant was found guilty and the courts reaffirmed that words alone were sufficient to constitute an assault if it caused the victim to apprehend immediate fear.

Copyright © 2019 by Dyarne Ward