ABSTRACT
The actus reus of s 20 may be committed in two main ways: first by ‘wounding’ the V; secondly, by ‘inflicting grievous bodily harm’ on the V. It is important to note the separateness of these two ways of committing the offence. It is not necessary for a wound to cause grievous bodily harm in order for the offence to be committed; likewise grievous bodily harm may be inflicted without the D’s skin being broken. The precise definition of ‘wound’ and ‘inflict grievous bodily harm’ will therefore be considered in turn.
