We have been invited by the Sentencing Council to share this announcement on updates to the guidelines:

The Sentencing Council has today published, in accordance with section 120 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, revised definitive guidelines to be used by the Crown Court and magistrates’ courts in England and Wales when sentencing assault and attempted murder offences. The new guidelines will come into effect on 1 July 2021.

These guidelines replace the Sentencing Council’s Assault Definitive Guideline which was the first guideline developed by the Sentencing Council and came into force in 2012. Revisions to the guidelines are intended to address unintended impacts identified in its evaluation, and to reflect recent changes to legislation in respect of some offences. At the same time the Council has also revised and updated the Attempted Murder Definitive Guideline which represents another step towards the Council’s commitment to replace the guidelines of its predecessor body, the Sentencing Guidelines Council.

The revised guidelines will ensure courts are equipped to make an effective assessment of the seriousness of offences and impose appropriate and proportionate sentences. There are six guidelines covering the range of non-fatal assault offences:

• Common assault – section 39 Criminal Justice Act 1988; Racially/religiously aggravated Common assault - section 29 Crime and Disorder Act 1998; Common assault of an emergency worker - section 1 Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018
• Assault with intent to resist arrest – section 38 Offences Against the Person Act 1861
• Assault occasioning actual bodily harm - section 47 Offences Against the Person Act 1861; Racially/religiously aggravated ABH - section 29 Crime and Disorder Act 1998
• Inflicting grievous bodily harm/Unlawful wounding - section 20 Offences Against the Person Act 1861; Racially/religiously aggravated GBH/Unlawful wounding - section 29 Crime and Disorder Act 1998
• Causing grievous bodily harm with intent to do grievous bodily harm/Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm - section 18 Offences Against the Person Act 1861
• Attempted murder - s1(1) Criminal Attempts Act 1981

All are available on the Sentencing Council website here. Alongside the guidelines, we have also published a response to the consultation and other related documents. 

Yours sincerely,

Steve

Steve Wade

Head of the Office of the Sentencing Council