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New Judge: Yes, that’s right, my attacker was charged with both witness intimidation and common assault. I am pretty certain that the person ‘opted’ for a Crown Court trial (rather than having the choice made for him), but in any case, the matter will be tried before a Crown Court judge and jury. That is assuming it gets past the committal stage, which I understand is pretty much a given.
The offence definitely involved threats of violence in future (as well as the actual violence of the assault itself). The assault was opportunistic, as the attacker met me by chance. However, as I stated in my original post (third paragraph), there were incidents of threats and harassment prior to the assault. These will be harder to prove, I imagine, but who knows?
That’s a very useful link, thank you. I am not sure if I am interpreting it properly, but it would appear my attacker is going to get a custodial sentence if he is found guilty, although I do note your comment about suspended sentences.
Could you shed any light on the use of suspended sentences? Are there any guidelines about that?