Assault Section 20 OAPA

[sen1603]

I am currently on bail for assault section 20 after i was involved in a drunken fight in a city centre.a stranger was being set upon by two men and i ran over and punched one on the chin to get them to stop. the guy i hit was bleeding from the mouth and had two broken teeth. i left the scene and 6 months later i had a knock from the police who arrested me and interviewed me.

As the witness and guy i was trying to help cant be found it is my word against the guy i hit and his friend who are saying i attacked them for no reason. The one i hit and his "witness" identified me from a social networking site and the description in their statements of me to police was EXACTLY the same as a picture on my profile. however my appearance now and when it happened is alot different to that of my profile picture ie. i know longer have any facial piercings or a skinhead as they described me as. Could this act as evidence to prove they are lying???

I am planning to admit to hitting him when i answer my bail (thursday) and i am wondering what will be my likely punishment???
this is my first offence and since the incident happened i have stopped drinking as i had a problem with alchohol, my first child been born and i was due to start my career in the military on 27th january. as all of this has come about i have to hold off starting my job as a soldier until its been through the courts.

would a judge be lenient on me as
a)im going in th army and a harsh sentence would affect my career
b)i now have a child
c)have tried to turn my life around by stopping drinking and joining the army
d)realise what i did was stupid and that i cannot act as vigilante no matter what the circumstances??

any help appreciated and sorry for the long winded post!!!

[pink-kittens]

If they cannot find the man being set upon, how did they find you?

[voltr4m4x]

The plain fact remains that you intervened in something when you had no real cause for doing so, obviously brought about through drink and you acted beyond the bounds of reasonableness, again through drink. Section 20 Wounding with Intent carries a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment, but if you appeared before me I would scale the punishment down to one of 18 months.

[sen1603]

they found me through a social networking website. so im definately going to get a prison sentence then?