Assault and ABH: Police Station Attendance Notes
Assault allegations bring injury descriptions, witness accounts, and often self-defence or lack of intent arguments. Your attendance note must capture disclosure on injuries, weapons, and context — pub fights, domestic settings, or public order situations differ in what you record.
Disclosure and injury evidence
Record injury descriptions, medical evidence summaries, and photographs if disclosed. Note whether injuries match the alleged mechanism. In ABH cases, the boundary between common assault and ABH may depend on injury severity — record what was disclosed about that assessment.
Consultation: account and defences
Clients may claim self-defence, accident, misidentification, or provocation context. Record instructions without editorialising. Advice on interview should reflect what the client accepts and denies — particularly where a prepared statement might be appropriate.
- Alleged incident location, time, and participants
- Injury account from disclosure vs client instructions
- Self-defence or lawful excuse if raised
- Witnesses client identifies
- CCTV or BWV mentioned in disclosure
Interview focus
Note questions about intent, weapon use, and sequence of events. Objections to unfair summarisation of CCTV or witness statements should be recorded — they may matter at trial.
Frequently asked questions
Should I describe injuries in detail?
Summarise disclosed injury evidence accurately. Do not speculate beyond disclosure and client account. Medical terms from disclosure can be quoted; do not diagnose.
What about joint enterprise allegations?
If secondary participation is alleged, record disclosure on what the client is said to have done — presence alone, encouragement, physical act — and advice given on that distinction.
Are assault attendances more likely to escape fixed fees?
Only if time exceeds escape thresholds. Complex assault cases with multiple witnesses and long interviews may qualify — record time by activity regardless of offence type.
Structure every attendance from the first call-out.
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