Crimes (Assault Causing Death) Amendment Bill
Member's 

Explanatory note

General policy statement

This creates a new nfience that would allow for a 0r "cows
ard's punch" type otl'erice ln response to a number of deaths where the lnleldual 
led was assaulted and traglcall} died later in hospital as a result of their lnjurles
Those of the snicalled "one punch" assaults will receive a ma'tlmum sens
tence of20 years imprisonment

Clause liy clause analysis
(Value 1 is the Tltle clause

(Value 2 is the commencement clause It that the Bill comes into force on
the day afier the date on which it recelves the Roy al assent

(Value 3 provides that the Bill amends the Crlmes Act 196] [the principal Act)

(Value 4 inserts new again" 168A to create an ofl'ence of assault causing death

Matt King

Crimes (Assault Causing Death) Amendment Bill
Member’s Bill

Contents
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Title
Commencement
Principal Act
New section 168A inserted (Assault causing death)
168A
Assault causing death

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The Parliament of New Zealand enacts as follows:
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Title
This Act is the Crimes (Assault Causing Death) Amendment Act 2018.

2

Commencement
This Act comes into force on the day after the date on which it receives the
Royal assent.

3

Principal Act
This Act amends the Crimes Act 1961 (the principal Act).

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New section 168A inserted (Assault causing death)
After section 168, insert:

168A Assault causing death
(1)

Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 20 years who—
(a)

assaults any other person with intent to hit the other person with any part
of the person’s body or with an object held by the person; and

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 cl 4

Crimes (Assault Causing Death) Amendment Bill

(b)

the assault is not authorised or excused by law; and

(c)

the assault causes the death of the other person.

(2)

For the purposes of this section, an assault causes the death of a person whether
the person is killed as a result of the injuries received directly from the assault
or from hitting the ground or an object as a consequence of the assault.

(3)

In proceedings for an offence under subsection (1) it is not necessary to
prove that the death was reasonably foreseeable.

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