What is the legal definition of great bodily harm? What is the difference between great bodily harm and bodily harm?
A child is found to have bruising about the head and face. Someone is being charged with bodily harm and great bodily harm. These are two separate charges and I need to know how they are different. The child is under 13.
I suspect you are the same asker asking about the multiple statements being "thrown out"
The underlying assumption is that it matters whether you figure this out or not. It doesn't. Have your lawyer figure out how to attack this and explain it to you.
Great bodily harm is just a higher degree of injury. Bodily harm is a lesser degree of injury and both are probably charged so that the state has an opportunity to prosecute both charges. What is considered great bodily harm is subjective. The defendant needs an attorney and not an online Q&A forum
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While your state probably has a very specific definition based in the case law, great bodily harm sounds like a bit of a stretch. In most instances, serious or great bodily harm is harm which requires immediate treatment, things that would require a person to go to the hospital or urgent care. How extensive and serious the bruising is matter as this is a very fact intensive question. If the bruising was serious enough that the child was taken to the hospital to evaluated for potential head or neck trauma, the state may have a good case for great bodily harm. This is a serious charge. The defendant needs to get a lawyer.
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