Assault is a criminal offense that can carry serious penalties depending on the severity of your case and whether or not it involves a weapon. In general, assault involves an intentional act that causes the victim to believe they are in immediate danger of harmful contact or injury.
However, physical harm is not always required for an assault charge and even threatening to hurt someone doesn’t qualify as an assault in some states. Generally, there are three elements involved in an assault charge: the accused’s act, their intent and inducing reasonable apprehension.
A physical attack, such as hitting, kicking or punching someone is generally the type of assault that people are charged with but in some cases the accused might be charged with an aggravated assault instead of simple assault if there are certain aggravating factors like the use of a weapon or the victim being a vulnerable person or a protected class of person like a police officer, judge, social worker or child. Aggravated assault is a serious, violent felony.
Your attorney may be able to help you defend against an assault charge by challenging the prosecution’s evidence and witness testimony and by raising doubts about what actually happened. If you’re facing an assault charge, get help from an experienced lawyer right away. Contact Wiberg Law Office, PLLC of Portsmouth, New Hampshire today to discuss your case and plan a strategy to help you avoid a conviction for Assault.