Legally, is it a criminal offence to beat someone up?

claire

Hell yer!. It is ok for the scrum of this earth to steal, vandalise, mug you etc etc.....
But you try anything on them its your a*se thats thrown before a judge and fined/jailed!!

stormydays

Yes because its a criminal offence to assault someone....regardless of why

Uncle Joe

Yes, assault is a criminal offence whatever the reason for doing it , except (sometimes) in self-defence.

angibabi113

a broken nose is permanent damage, dude.

I just paid 6K to get mine fixed.

and yes, its a criminal offense in the US to beat anyone up for anything other than self defense

Rick J

Yup, if you have enough evidence tell the police and 'beat him up' in court.

arimarismacon

Yes, that is assault. If he is harmed sufficenlty to need to go to the hospital it will add battery charges. And because you are specifically attacking him over a loss of money then it is a higher level felony than it would be if you just started a fight in the street. Attacking him would start at 2 years in prison and depending on his injuries could go as high as 12 years.

Try legal methods, specifically civil court, to recoup your monetary loss.

Cymru lover

unfortunately yeah, shouting abusive language that cause another the apprehend immediate unlawful force is enough to assult someone, so Breaking nose's and so one would be a definate s47 OAPA assult...

the only only way that you could lawful punch someone is in self defence, which in your case ain't plausable .. sorry.

Barking mad

If he stole y0ur money, report it to the police and let them deal with it, or take him to the County Court in a civil case.

baloo13

Yes it is assault and criminal.
However so is him taking your money, that is thieft. unless he tricked you into giving it him then that is fraud or obtaining money by deception.
Take a stroll to the police station and see if you can press charges or where you stand.

Ms Eddy

Yes you can. These are classed as crimes against the person and include battery; assault occasioning grevious or serious bodily harm, common assault and are all criminal offences that could see you with a custodial sentence. They are listed under sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the person Act 1861.

What good would him receiving a beating from you do anyway? Might make you feel better for a while but not going to get you your money back is it?

Why not try taking him to the small claims court, or if he did steal from you, report him to the police.

Chris

Yes
are you harmed to the point you can not function?
If civilised methods have failed try a legally way.

IF you continue down this route you will only end up in more trouble, is it worth it?

the hump

Yes, you can be arrested. It is illegal to try to collect debt in this manner. It is called battery in some states, assault in others, assault and battery in still others, and extortion in all because the purpose of the violence is to get money out of someone.

The sentences are very harsh. Even misdemeanor assault is punishable with up to a year in jail in most states. Extortion is both a Federal and a State offense, and I think the last time I looked you could get 20 years for that in my state.

Why don't you try pressing charges against him for the theft?

Cyrus M

yes it is an offence indeed several offences. If you merely beat him or threaten to beat him then it is Actual Bodily Harm. That carries a potential custodial sentence. If you draw blood or cause internal bleeding (black eye) then it can be Grievous Bodily Harm which carries a very heavy custodial sentence. Your reason for beating the scumbag would not provide you with a defence unless Mr Scumbag attacks you first in which case you can claim reasonable self-defence. I am a solicitor.

Wunout O

I was once cornered by 3 men who tried to rob me. I could see at least one had a knife. I am a martial arts black belt but knew I could not beat 3 armed men. Don't believe the Kung Fu films! I was terrified and thought I was about to be killed or seriously injured. As I couldn't run I thought my only chance was to grab the nearest and hurt him badly to scare the other 2 off. I dislocated his collarbone. Then the Police arrived and arrested ME. The 3 were known local villians known to the Police. The cops sympathised with me but as I had no injuries I was charged with assault. The cop said if it happened again to bash my face against a brick wall. Never mind beat anyone up, you are not even allowed to defend yourself against 3 muggers with knives.

Skidoctor 360

I think you know the answer to your own question. You know you can't just punch someone out these days. Although, he may well deserve it.

You smack him up and you may lose your freedom on top of losing your money. This called a "double whammy".

Sorry. The lesson here is "stay away from scumbags".

beach bum

Assault and battery is usually a felony.
You need to spend some time thinking about revenge without getting hurt yourself. There are many things you could do to ruin his life without ruining yours.
You need to do some serious thinking about being a slime ball.

SANDRA C

its only permitted to beat up on someone if he is either,
A. an estate agent
or
B. a lawyer.

DanDan der scheiss-hausmann

You would be better off getting an aliby and then killing him. That way nobody can testify against you. Alternatively if he is married write a spoof letter to his wife about an affair and generally harass him.

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