The internet has expanded our abilities to communicate with a wider range of people. However, it has also opened us up to an increasing risk of running afoul of another person. As a result, thousands of people suffer through online threats and emails every year. This act is a crime that can be pursued under simple assault laws. Here is why.

Assault Is Not Merely Physical

People often make the mistake of assuming that assault is a merely physical crime. That is simply not the case. Simple assault refers to an attempt to cause a person to be afraid of being physically injured by another person. The physical action is labeled battery. As a result, assault is often simply an act of verbally berating or threatening another person.

In the past, assault was limited mostly to verbal exchanges or those done via the mail. However, the growing prominence of online communication has expanded the definition to cover these instances. As a result, threatening messages on a forum or social media site are no longer acceptable from a legal standpoint.

Online Threats Can, Therefore, Be Assault

While these types of threatening online messages may not seem serious to many, they easily fall under the heading of assault. This fact is particularly true if the person continues to persist with the threats and has claimed to make attempts to find you. Even if this person hasn't actually approached your or hit you, they are committing simple assault.

As a result, there is a real chance that you have a case of assault that should be pursued to its fullest. That said, you need to make sure that you take steps to ensure that you are capable of proving that these messages constitute assault against your well being.

Proving This Situation In A Court

While threatening emails and social media messages may fall under the heading of assault, it is important to take steps to prove that they do. For example, they need to fall under the heading of being an act that intended to create fear. You also must have had a reasonable belief that you were going to actually suffer from harm due to harmful and offensive messages.

One way to do this is to showcase the messages in a court setting. This helps to display their aggressive nature and makes it easier for the court to understand why you were afraid. You also need to showcase the level of fear that this caused you. One way to do that is to bring in a psychologist you visited after the event. You can also bring in friends or family members that testified your level of fear.

Proving that there was a real chance of actually suffering from harm based on these messages is going to be the hardest part of this process. As a result, it is wise to talk to a professional about this task right away. They can provide you with the guidance you need to win this difficult case.  Contact a law firm, like Walter Bailey Law Firm, for more help.

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