Assault and battery is a crime, defined as an act of violence against another person. Some battery cases, however, revolve around intentional physical contact without the other person’s consent. Though it varies between states and countries, in most common law jurisdictions, assault is also defined as unlawful physical contact. In other locations, assault is defined as attempted battery where the said crime is done for the purpose of harming a certain individual. There are different types of cases and one of them is an aggravated assault where an individual uses a deadly weapon to cause serious injury. Kidnapping is a form of aggravated assault so is trying to have sexual interaction with a person below the age of 14.
However, wherever you live, there has been an indisputable trend toward assault cases being reported more often. Whether that is due to more actual incidences or just more publicity on the issue, remains to be seen. The most popular of these assault cases are the ones that occur in Hollywood. While scuffles between celebrities and the paparazzi may be commonplace, just recently Nicollette Sheridan, the actress who plays sexy realtor Eddie Brit in the popular TV series Desperate Housewives, hired an assault lawyer and sued the creator of the show for assault and battery.
Another popular case is the Rihanna-Chris Brown drama where Chris Brown was sentenced to 5 years of probation along with 6 months of community service for assaulting his former girlfriend Rihanna. And two years ago, 300 star Gerard Butler picked a fight with a photographer. He was sued for the crime and got a sentence of a misdemeanor criminal battery over a year ago.
Although these may be the stories many know about, many women and children are the subjects of violence all over the world. Violence against women in the US alone has a shocking rate of 4.8 million cases since 2005 and the numbers are growing. If you think you have been assaulted, you should remember that there are exemptions to the rule. If you were being arrested and tried to fight the police, technically, you do not have a case because you were under arrest in the first place. In the UK, Canada and Australia, parents can administer corporal punishment to their children and is not classified as an assault. Otherwise, consult an attorney to see if you have a case.
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