What critisms would you make of the current law on non-fatal offences against the person?

Non-fatal offences against the person include assault, battery, actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH) in its two forms. However, there is no clear statutory definition for either assault or for battery, while definitions of the more serious offences are contained in an Act passed back in 1861, with much of the vocabulary old-fashioned and even misleading. This shows that there is a gap in the law. Law Commission has also seen this as …

…the law of non-fatal offences against the person within domestic violence. This can be a problem because police approach to domestic violence is to avoid involvement. It may also be a problem getting wives or girlfriends to give evidence against their partners so justice may not be brought to the violent men. However, s.80 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 can now compel a spouse to give evidence against their partners in court proceedings.