The Offence of Wounding with Intent to Cause Grievous Bodily Harm in NSW

A 15-year-old boy has been charged after an alleged knife attack in Sydney’s inner city left a 17-year-old boy with a severed hand.

Emergency services were called to Redfern Oval at about 6pm on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, following reports concerning the welfare of a teenager.

Officers from South Sydney Police Area Command arrived and located a 17-year-old boy suffering a serious injury to his hand.

NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the teenager at the scene before transporting him to hospital in a stable condition.

Police allege the injury occurred during an assault in a nearby car park on Morehead Road in Redfern, during which another boy used a knife against the 17-year-old.

Crime scenes were subsequently established at Redfern Street and Morehead Road as police commenced an investigation into the incident.

Arrested and charged

Police say that at approximately 12.15am on Thursday, 3 September 2026, officers stopped a vehicle travelling west along Redfern Street.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested nearby a short time later and taken to Mascot Police Station, where he was charged with:

• wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm; and
• breaching bail.

The teenager was refused police bail and ordered to appear before a Children’s Court.

It is important to note that the charges are allegations only and the teen is presumed to be innocent until and unless he is found guilty in a court of law. 

The offence of wounding with intent in NSW

Wounding with intent is an offence under section 33 of the Crimes Act 1900 which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

To establish the offence, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that a person:

1. Wounded another person, and
2. Intended by doing so to cause grievous bodily harm.

The offence carries a ‘standard non-parole period’ of 7 years, which is a reference point for the sentencing judge when deciding how long a person must spend behind bars before being eligible to apply for release on parole.

A ‘wounding’ is the breaking of both layers of the skin being the dermis and epidermis and includes a ‘split lip’.

‘Grievous bodily harm’ (GBH) has been defined by the courts as any ‘very serious harm’. 

The legislation specifically states that such harm includes:

1. Any permanent or serious disfigurement,
2. The destruction of a foetus, other than by a medical procedure, and
3. Any grievous bodily disease.

Legal defences

It is important to be aware that in addition to having to prove each element (or ingredient) of the offence beyond reasonable doubt, the prosecution must also disprove to the same high standard any legal defence raised by the evidence in the case.

The most common defence to assault charges is self-defence, which is where a person:

1. Believed the conduct was necessary to defend him or herself, or another person, or to prevent the unlawful deprivation of his or her liberty, or that of another person, or to protect his or her property from being taken, destroyed, damaged or interfered with, or to prevent criminal trespass to his or her land, or remove a person criminally trespassing, and

2. The conduct was a reasonable response in the circumstances as he or she perceived them at the time.

Self-defence is a complete defence, which means a person must be found not guilty if the prosecution is unable to disprove beyond reasonable doubt that the defence applies, provided there is some evidence the defendant had in fact acted in self-defence.

Other complete legal defences to assault charges include duress, necessity and mental illness.