Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same,
as follows:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 265 of the General
Laws is hereby amended by striking
out section 13A, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition, and inserting in
place thereof the following section:-
Section 13A. (a) Whoever commits an assault or an assault and battery upon
another shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than 2½
years in a house of correction or by a fine of not more than $1,000.
A summons may be issued instead of a warrant for the arrest of any person
upon a complaint for a violation of any provision of this subsection if in
the judgment of the court or justice receiving the complaint there is reason to
believe that he will appear upon a summons.
(b) Whoever commits an assault or an assault and battery:
(i) upon another and by such assault and battery causes serious bodily
injury;
(ii) upon another who is pregnant at the time of such assault and battery,
knowing or having reason to know that the person is pregnant; or
(iii) upon another who he knows has an outstanding temporary or permanent
vacate, restraining or no contact order or judgment issued pursuant to section
18, section 34B or 34C
of chapter 208, section 32 of chapter
209, section 3, 4
or 5 of chapter 209A, or section
15 or 20 of chapter 209C, in effect
against him at the time of such assault or assault and battery; shall be punished
by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years or in the house
of correction for not more than 2½ years, or by a fine of not more than
$5,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(c) For the purposes of this section, "serious bodily injury" shall mean
bodily
injury that results in a permanent disfigurement, loss or impairment
of a bodily
function, limb or organ, or a substantial risk of death.
SECTION 2. Section 15A of said
chapter 265, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out subsection
(b) and inserting in place thereof the following 3 subsections:-
(b) Whoever commits an assault and battery upon another by means of a
dangerous
weapon shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than
10 years or in the house of correction for not more than 2½ years, or by a
fine of not more than $5,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(c) Whoever:
(i) by means of a dangerous weapon, commits an assault and battery upon
another and by such assault and battery causes serious bodily injury;
(ii) by means of a dangerous weapon, commits an assault and battery upon
another who is pregnant at the time of such assault and battery, knowing or
having reason to know that the person is pregnant;
(iii) by means of a dangerous weapon, commits an assault and battery upon
another who he knows has an outstanding temporary or permanent vacate, restraining
or no contact order or judgment issued pursuant to section
18, section 34B or section
34C of chapter 208, section 32 of chapter
209, section 3, 4
or 5 of chapter 209A, or section
15 or 20 of chapter 209C, in effect
against him at the time of such assault and battery; or
(iv) is 17 years of age or older and, by means of a dangerous weapon,
commits an assault and battery upon a child under the age of 14;
shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than
15 years or in the house of correction for not more than 2½ years, or by a
fine of not more than $10,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(d) For the purposes of this section, "serious bodily injury" shall mean
bodily injury which results in a permanent disfigurement, loss or impairment of
a bodily function, limb or organ, or a substantial risk of death.
Approved February 21, 2002.