Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Our criminal defence solicitors provide clear legal advice and representation for people facing allegations of assault and related offences. We can advise you from the initial investigation and police interview through to court proceedings, helping you understand the allegations, evidence and legal options available to you.
Criminal Defence Advice
An assault allegation can arise from an incident that happened in seconds, while the consequences for your freedom, work and family can last far longer. Our solicitors give you the opportunity to explain the full sequence of events, including what happened before any footage starts or injury was recorded. We examine the evidence behind the charge and help you understand how the law applies to the conduct attributed to you.
The difference between common assault, actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm is important, but the label alone does not explain the strength of a case. Our criminal defence team considers identification, injury, causation, intention and any account of self-defence. We can prepare for interview or court, pursue relevant evidence and explain both the available defence and sentencing issues, giving you practical legal advice as the allegation develops.
Common assault and battery concern apprehension of immediate unlawful violence or unlawful force, while actual bodily harm involves injury beyond the merely transient or trifling. Grievous bodily harm means really serious harm, and wounding has its own legal meaning. Section 18 and section 20 offences have different mental elements, with section 18 generally requiring the relevant specific intent. The prosecution must establish the elements of the charge brought, rather than simply show that someone was hurt.
The allegation may be common assault, ABH, GBH, wounding, strangulation or another violence offence. We look at the injuries alleged, the witness accounts, the sequence of events and the evidence said to support each part of the case.
Some incidents also involve weapons, a domestic relationship or public disorder, which can result in several connected charges. We prepare those allegations together where they arise from the same event so the evidence and chronology remain consistent.
We can provide representation at a police interview to address the alleged assault and your account before charge.
Self-defence depends on the circumstances as you honestly believed them and the reasonableness of the force used, subject to the applicable legal rules. Retaliation after a threat has passed is different from defensive force. Incomplete footage, uncertain identification or an injury with another cause may need investigation, but they do not guarantee an acquittal. We test your account against the chronology and evidence and explain difficulties such as force that appears excessive.
If you have already been charged, we can obtain the prosecution papers, review the medical and witness evidence and prepare for the next hearing or trial. More serious violence allegations can involve expert evidence or several defendants and may proceed to the Crown Court.
An alleged weapon can raise separate knife or weapons charges as well as affecting the violence allegation and possible sentence.
When accounts conflict, a case can turn on details such as the order of events, the location of injuries, what CCTV shows before and after the incident and what independent witnesses saw. We bring those pieces together with your instructions rather than considering them in isolation.
If the case moves from police investigation to court, we can remain involved throughout, deal with bail or contact restrictions and coordinate Crown Court advocacy where required. You are not left to explain the case again each time it moves to another stage.
Costs vary with the charge, number of witnesses and need to examine footage or medical evidence. A contested GBH case may require counsel and expert work beyond the preparation needed for a short assault hearing. We identify the stage covered by the estimate, VAT where applicable and additional expenses, and explain potential compensation, prosecution costs and other financial consequences separately from our fees.
We do not accept legal aid instructions. If you choose our firm, we will agree our fees with you before substantive work begins.
Assault Defence FAQs
Common questions about evidence, self-defence, court proceedings, bail and costs.
Common assault and battery do not require the same injury threshold as ABH, which concerns harm beyond the transient or trifling. GBH involves really serious injury, while wounding has a separate legal meaning. The required intention or recklessness also differs between charges, particularly section 18 and section 20 offences.
Yes. CCTV, phone footage and body-worn video can show parts of the incident before, during or after the alleged assault. The full sequence can be more useful than a short clip viewed on its own.
Yes. We can take your account and review the surrounding evidence to advise on how self-defence may be relevant to the particular allegation. Tell us about the threat you perceived, the force used and any witnesses or footage showing how the confrontation developed.
Depending on the case, the prosecution may rely on photographs, medical records, witness evidence, body-worn video or other material. We review the evidence said to support the level of injury alleged.
Yes. A strangulation or suffocation allegation can arise alongside or instead of other assault charges. The precise charge and evidence need to be considered carefully.
The route depends on the precise charge and seriousness. Some cases can be dealt with in different courts, while serious violence allegations can proceed to the Crown Court.
Yes. We can discuss taking over during the investigation or after charge and obtain the available prosecution papers. Any trial date, bail restrictions and outstanding medical or video evidence will be important when deciding the immediate preparation required.
Fees depend on the charge, amount of evidence, number of hearings and whether the case proceeds to trial or Crown Court. We can explain the likely work and costs before you decide to instruct us.
Medical evidence is not essential in every assault case. Witness testimony, photographs, admissions or video may be relevant, and some offences do not require proof of an injury. Where the nature or cause of injury is disputed, we examine whether the prosecution evidence actually supports the offence charged.
Not automatically. Police and prosecutors decide whether a case can continue using the available evidence and applicable rules. A withdrawal may require further enquiries rather than ending proceedings. Do not contact the complainant to seek a withdrawal, particularly where contact restrictions apply; raise the position with your solicitor.
If you have been arrested, asked to attend an interview or given a court date, speak to us about what happened and the allegation you face. We can review the available evidence, explain the next stage and discuss the likely costs.
Arrange a telephone call or visit our Cheltenham office by appointment. We assist clients in Cheltenham and the surrounding Gloucestershire area.
Call 0330 900 0377, email info@pembridgesolicitors.co.uk or request a consultation.
Pembridge Solicitors
Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Office visits by appointment.