Non-Fatal Offences Against The Person Act 1997
Encyclopedia
The Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 is an Act of the Oireachtas
which virtually codified the criminal law on offences against the person in the Republic of Ireland
. The Act replaced the greater part of the Offences against the Person Act 1861
, scrapping such concepts as actual bodily harm
and grievous bodily harm
, and recognised the use of modern technology as a weapon:
The Act also made it an offence to use a syringe as a weapon, particularly where it is used to make the victim "...believe that he or she may become infected with disease".
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
which virtually codified the criminal law on offences against the person in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The Act replaced the greater part of the Offences against the Person Act 1861
Offences Against The Person Act 1861
The Offences against the Person Act 1861 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It consolidated provisions related to offences against the person from a number of earlier statutes into a single Act...
, scrapping such concepts as actual bodily harm
Actual bodily harm
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm is a statutory offence of aggravated assault in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Hong Kong and the Solomon Islands...
and grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm is a term of art used in English criminal law which has become synonymous with the offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861....
, and recognised the use of modern technology as a weapon:
- "force" includes...application of heat, light, electric current, noise or any other form of energy -Section 2.2(a)
The Act also made it an offence to use a syringe as a weapon, particularly where it is used to make the victim "...believe that he or she may become infected with disease".
External links
- Irish Law Reform Commission. Report on Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person. 1994