Aggravated Battery in Florida
Under Florida Statute 784.045(1)(a), the crime of Aggravated Battery is defined as an intentional battery with a deadly weapon, intentionally causing great bodily harm, or battery against a pregnant person and is punishable by up to fifteen years in prison.
Penalties for Aggravated Battery
In Florida, the crime of Aggravated Battery is a Second Degree Felony and punishable by up to fifteen (15) years in prison, fifteen (15) years of probation, and a $10,000 fine.
Aggravated Battery is assigned a Level 7 offense severity ranking under Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code. Absent grounds for a downward departure sentence, a judge is required to sentence a person convicted of Aggravated Battery to a minimum sentence of 21 months in prison, but may also sentence the person up to the statutory maximum of fifteen years in prison.
10-20-Life Firearm Enhancement
Aggravated Battery with a Firearm is technically the same offense as Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon. However the allegation that the “deadly weapon” was a firearm triggers a mandatory minimum prison sentence under Florida’s 10-20-Life law pursuant to Florida Statute 775.087(2)(a)(1).
Under 10-20-Life, and depending on how the firearm was used, a person convicted of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm could receive one of the following mandatory-minimum prison sentences:
- A minimum 10 year prison term if in possession of a firearm;
- A minimum 20 year prison term if the firearm was discharged; and
- A minimum 25 year prison term if someone is injured or killed by the firearm.
Defenses to Aggravated Battery
In addition to the pretrial defenses and trial defenses that can be raised in any criminal case, specific defenses to the crime of Aggravated Battery are:
Consent
Since an element of Aggravated Battery is that the contact was non-consensual, consent to the contact is an obvious defense. Other examples where consent would be applicable as a defense are athletic events.
Mutual Combat
While not sanctioned as a legal defense, mutual combat is a theory that can be argued to a jury as a sub-category of the defense of consent. Essentially, the theory goes, if two people mutually engage in a fight (usually a bar brawl) neither person should be able to complain of the ensuing contact.
Insufficient Intent
The intent to commit a battery is determined by the circumstances surrounding the touching or the striking of the victim. [1] As such, there are rare circumstances where intentional, non-consensual touching will not rise to the level of criminal battery. Reported examples of such insufficient intent are:
Assistance: If a person is attempting to assist a person, even if the pregnant person does not want assistance, the act of touching the pregnant person to assist them will not be considered criminal battery. [2]
Throwing a Tantrum: If a child (or adult) throws a tantrum and inadvertently hits a person and causes an injury, either by throwing an item or by flailing a body part around, the inadvertent contact will not be considered criminal battery because there was no specific intent to strike the injured person. [3]
Self Defense
Self defense, also known as the justified use of force, is a defense to the crime of Aggravated Battery so long as non-deadly force was used to defend yourself against the pregnant person’s unlawful attack.
Please visit the Self Defense section for more information on this defense.
Contact Criminal Defense Lawyer Richard Hornsby
If you have been arrested or charged with the crime of Aggravated Battery in Central Florida or the Greater Orlando area, contact Orlando Criminal Defense Lawyer Richard Hornsby today.
The initial consultation is free and I am always available to advise you on the proper course of action that can be taken.