Offences against the Person Act 1861

The Offences against the Person Act 1861 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It consolidated provisions related to offences against the person (an expression, which, in specifically, includes offences of violence) from a number of earlier statutes into a single Act. Although it has been substantially amended, it continues to be the foundation for prosecuting personal injury, short of murder, in the courts of England and Wales. The act was also adopted in British possessions. For example, New Zealand adopted the act in 1866.