What is Section 23 of the Offences Against the Person Act?

Asked by: Juana Goldner PhD  |  Last update: February 19, 2026
Score: 4.4/5 (24 votes)

Section 23 of the UK's Offences Against the Person Act 1861 criminalizes the malicious administration, or causing to be administered, of poison or other destructive/noxious substance to another person, with the intent to endanger their life or inflict grievous bodily harm, making it a serious felony punishable by penal servitude. It covers scenarios where someone gives, causes to be given, or takes poison with harmful intent, creating significant legal consequences for such actions.

What is the 23 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861?

23. Maliciously administering poison, &c. so as to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm.

What is Section 23 of the Criminal Code?

Section 23 of the Criminal Code of Nigeria provides: 'A person is not criminally responsible, as for an offence relating in property, for an act done or omitted to be done by him with respect to any property in the exercise of an honest claim of right and without intention to defraud.

What is the summary Offences Act s23?

Any person who unlawfully assaults or beats another person shall be guilty of an offence. Penalty: 15 penalty units or imprisonment for three months.

What are the offences against the person act?

The Offences against the Person Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. 100) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated provisions related to offences against the person (an expression which, in particular, includes offences of violence) from a number of earlier statutes into a single act.

What you should know about Offences against the Person?

19 related questions found

What is the 23 crimes Act?

(1) A person who intentionally or recklessly inflicts actual bodily harm on another person is guilty of an offence punishable, on conviction, by imprisonment for 5 years. (2) However, for an aggravated offence against this section, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for 7 years.

What is the lowest level of assault charge?

The Different Levels of Assault

  • Simple Battery. Simple battery is the lowest-level offense, defined as touching or striking someone without causing significant injury. ...
  • Battery Causing Serious Bodily Injury. ...
  • Assault with a Deadly Weapon. ...
  • Assault with Force Likely to Produce Great Bodily Injury.

What is the Section 23 Crimes Sentencing Procedure Act?

(1) A court may impose a lesser penalty than it would otherwise impose on an offender, having regard to the degree to which the offender has assisted, or undertaken to assist, law enforcement authorities in the prevention, detection or investigation of, or in proceedings relating to, the offence concerned or any other ...

What three elements must be present to prove that an assault occurred?

The three core elements of assault are: Intent (the perpetrator must mean to cause fear or harmful contact), Reasonable Apprehension (the victim must reasonably believe imminent harm is coming), and Immediacy (the threat must feel like it's happening now, not later). These elements establish that an action (or threat) was deliberate, created a believable fear of imminent unwanted contact, and wasn't just a future possibility. 

What is the least serious assault charge?

The lowest assault charge is typically a misdemeanor, often called "simple assault," involving minor offenses like offensive physical contact, threats of harm, or minor injury, with Texas Class C misdemeanor (fine only for mere contact) or Missouri Fourth-Degree Assault (minor contact/threats) being examples of less severe forms, while North Carolina's Simple Assault (threats/minor fear/touching) is also a low-level misdemeanor. These charges are less serious than felonies but still carry penalties like jail time, fines, or probation, depending on the state.
 

What is Section 23 of the criminal Justice Act 1988?

23 First-hand hearsay.

(b)that the person who made it does not give oral evidence through fear or because he is kept out of the way. (4)Subsection (1) above does not render admissible a confession made by an accused person that would not be admissible under section 76 of the M2Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

What is the criminal code s23?

Under Section 23 of the Queensland Criminal Code 1899, a person is not criminally responsible for an act or omission that occurs independently of the exercise the person's will or that occurs by accident.

What is section 23 of the constitution?

Section 23, the most relevant one here, is entitled "Labour relations" and reads: Everyone has the right to fair labour practices. Every worker has the right to form and join a trade union; to participate in the activities and programmes of a trade union; and to strike.

What is Section 23 of the criminal law?

(1)A person ("A") who unlawfully and intentionally engages the services of a complainant who is mentally disabled ("B"), for financial or other reward, favour or compensation to B or to a third person ("C")— (a)for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with B, irrespective of whether the sexual act is committed or ...

What are the Offences against persons?

Offenses against the person includes all crimes that include direct and physical harm or potential to harm another person, including battery, kidnapping, murder, and domestic violence.

What is Section 23 of the Mental Health Act?

This section empowers the Hospital Managers, the Responsible Medical Officer and the Nearest Relative to discharge a patient. The nearest relative's powers are limited by the provisions of s25.

What is the burden of proof for assault?

In a criminal assault case, the burden of proof is “beyond a reasonable doubt.” This is the highest standard of proof and requires the prosecution to provide such convincing evidence to the jury that no reasonable person could have any doubts in their mind about the defendant's guilt.

What are the 3 C's of criminal justice?

We will spend time exploring the three main components of the criminal justice system, or an easy way to remember this is the three main C's: cops, courts, and corrections.

What three things must a plaintiff prove?

By establishing the elements of duty of care, breach of duty, causation and damages, we can build a strong negligence lawsuit backed by compelling evidence and recover maximum compensation for the plaintiff's injuries and losses.

What is the minimum sentence for a crime?

Parliament has also introduced minimum sentences for some serious offences that must be imposed unless there are exceptional circumstances:

  • seven years' imprisonment for a third Class A drug trafficking offence.
  • three years for a third domestic burglary.
  • five years for certain firearms offences.

What are the four types of punishment?

The four main types of punishment in criminal justice are retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation, each serving a different goal: making offenders pay for their crime (retribution), discouraging future crime (deterrence), preventing them from committing more offenses (incapacitation, e.g., prison), or changing their behavior to be law-abiding (rehabilitation). 

What is Section 23 of the criminal Procedure and investigation Act 1996?

It sets out the manner in which police officers are to record, retain and reveal to the prosecutor material obtained in a criminal investigation and which may be relevant to the investigation, and related matters.

What is the best defense for assault charges?

The best defense against an assault charge depends on the specifics, but common successful strategies include self-defense, proving you used reasonable force to protect yourself from imminent harm, or the defense of others, consent (like in sports), lack of intent (it was an accident), false accusation, or challenging the accuser's credibility, often requiring an experienced attorney to analyze evidence like video or witness testimony. 

What happens if someone is found guilty of assault?

Common assault:

the maximum sentence is six months' custody. if the assault is against an emergency worker, the maximum sentence is two years' custody. if the assault is racially or religiously aggravated, the maximum sentence is two years' custody.

Which one is worse, felony or misdemeanor?

Yes, a felony is significantly worse than a misdemeanor, as felonies are more serious crimes carrying harsher penalties like lengthy prison sentences (often over a year in state prison) and major long-term consequences, including loss of rights (voting, gun ownership) and significant barriers to employment, while misdemeanors usually result in shorter jail time (under a year in county jail) or fines.