 The crime of wounding with intent is created by section 18 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 . It reads , since amended , as : " Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously by any means whatsoever wound or cause any grievous bodily harm to any person ... with intent ... to do some ... grievous bodily harm to any person , or with intent to resist or prevent the lawful apprehension or detainer of any person ... " . This creates four forms of the offence : unlawfully and maliciously wounding , with intent to either do grievous bodily harm ( 1 ) or resist arrest ( 2 ) ; and unlawfully and maliciously causing grievous bodily harm , with intent to either do grievous bodily harm ( 3 ) or resist arrest ( 4 ) . Thus forms ( 1 ) and ( 3 ) differ from section 20 offences mainly in that there is a specific intention to cause serious harm rather than some harm , and they are therefore the more serious charges . On an indictment under section 18 , the jury is open to convict under section 20 or section 47 if properly directed . 
