How does UK law stand with regards knife carriers?
We don’t know exactly what happened here. The fact that there were three wounds and that only one man has been charged with malicious wounding suggests that only one person was wielding the knife and that there must have been intention on his part to inflict harm. While one stab might be administered in the heat of a struggle, three stabs take quite a lot of explaining. Moreover, we don’t know what parts of the torso were stabbed. If there had been direct aims at the heart, then maybe the prosecution could confidently go ahead on an attempted murder charge, but if these are superficial wounds to parts of the torso which could lead to serious injury stopping short of death, then there might not be enough evidence to support a charge of attempted murder. The police normally play safe when preferring the initial charge and leave it to the CPS to look at the total picture, review the file and decide what charges they feel could result in a conviction. The fact that this person has been cha
There are various degrees of ‘violence’ you can be charged with: Assault: Physically ‘interfering’ with someone (spitting, touching, holding etc.) Actual Bodily Harm: Causing harm (bruising, physiological trauma etc.) Unlawful Wounding: Causing a wound (slashing, stabbing, extreme biting etc.) Grievous Bodily Harm: Causing very serious injuries. Attempted Murder: Attempting to kill someone, even if you don’t actually harm them. and probably more. What causes something to go from Unlawful Wounding to GBH can depend on the effects of the injuries (paralysis, amputation etc.), any surgery that was needed to prevent further harm (just stitches, or full life-saving or extensive re-construction surgery?) and many other things. If things are in question, the CPS will usually opt for a lesser charge to make sure they get a conviction, rather than the offender being charged with a more serious crime that may need a lengthier trail, more evidence collecting or be less likely to get a solid verdi
