GBH (Grievous Bodily Harm)

CPS legal guidance gives the working definition prosecutors apply: 'GBH means really serious harm. The harm does not have to be either permanent or dangerous', citing R v Golding [2014] EWCA Crim 889. Wounding, a related but distinct concept often charged alongside GBH, has its own technical requirement: 'Proof of wounding requires a break in the continuity of the skin.'

The two main charges share the same definition of harm but differ entirely on intent. Guidance is explicit: 'The distinction between a section 18 and section 20 GBH is the mens rea of the offence.' For the lesser, section 20 offence, 'the suspect must intend, or foresee, that the act might cause some harm' — it does not require intending or foreseeing GBH itself, only some harm. Section 18, by contrast, 'can only be committed where GBH (or wounding) is intended', which is why it carries a maximum of life imprisonment as an indictable-only offence, while section 20 is triable either way with a maximum of 5 years. Because attempting an offence requires intending its full consequence, guidance notes 'it is not possible to attempt this offence because in order to attempt it, the consequence (wounding or GBH) must be intended, which is an offence contrary to section 18 instead.'