Victorian Current Acts

CRIMES ACT 1958 - SECT 31

S. 31(1) amended by Nos 49/1991 s. 119(1)
(Sch. 2 item 13), 48/1997
s. 60(1)(Sch. 1 item 16).

    (1)     A person who—

        (a)     assaults or threatens to assault another person with intent to commit an indictable offence; or

S. 31(1)(b) amended by Nos 43/2011 s. 16, 37/2014 s. 10(Sch. item 36.3), substituted by No. 69/2014 s. 13(1), amended by Nos 28/2016 s. 7(1), 43/2017 s. 48(1).

        (b)     assaults or threatens to assault, resists or intentionally obstructs an emergency worker on duty or a youth justice custodial worker on duty, or a custodial officer on duty, knowing or being reckless as to whether the person was an emergency worker or a youth justice custodial worker or a custodial officer; or

S. 31(1)(ba) inserted by No. 69/2014 s. 13(1), amended by Nos 20/2015 s. 21, 28/2016 s. 7(2), 43/2017 s. 48(2).

        (ba)     assaults or threatens to assault, resists or intentionally obstructs a person lawfully assisting an emergency worker on duty or a youth justice custodial worker on duty, or a custodial officer on duty, knowing or being reckless as to whether the person was assisting an emergency worker or a youth justice custodial worker or a custodial officer; or

        (c)     assaults or threatens to assault a person with intent to resist or prevent the lawful apprehension or detention of a person—

is guilty of an indictable offence.

Penalty:     Level 6 imprisonment (5 years maximum).

    (2)     In subsection (1), "assault" means the direct or indirect application of force by a person to the body of, or to clothing or equipment worn by, another person where the application of force is—

        (a)     without lawful excuse; and

        (b)     with intent to inflict or being reckless as to the infliction of bodily injury, pain, discomfort, damage, insult or deprivation of liberty—

and results in the infliction of any such consequence (whether or not the consequence inflicted is the consequence intended or foreseen).

S. 31(2A) inserted by No. 69/2014 s. 13(2).

    (2A)     In subsection (1)—

S. 31(2A) defs of custodial officer on duty and custodial officer inserted by No. 28/2016 s. 7(3), amended by No. 38/2017 s. 81(1).

custodial officer on duty and custodial officer have the same meanings as in section 10AA of the Sentencing Act 1991 ;

S. 31(2A) defs of emergency worker on duty and emergency worker amended as emergency worker on duty , emergency worker , youth justice custodial worker on duty and youth justice custodial worker by No. 43/2017 s. 48(3).

"emergency worker on duty", emergency worker , youth justice custodial worker on duty and youth justice custodial worker have the same meanings as in section 10AA of the Sentencing Act 1991 .

    (3)     In subsection (2)—

"application of force" includes—

        (a)     application of heat, light, electric current or any other form of energy; and

        (b)     application of matter in solid, liquid or gaseous form.

S. 31A inserted by No. 66/1996
s. 202 (as amended by Nos 26/1997
s. 35(2), 48/1997
s. 60(2) (as amended by No. 74/2000 s. 3(Sch. 1 item 114))).