From ABH to APH: Recognising Psychological Injury as Criminal Harm

This working paper introduces Aggravated Psychological Harm (APH) as an emerging legal framework expanding the definition of harm within Australian criminal law. It argues that sustained psychological interference, when intentional and manipulative, should be recognised as equivalent in gravity to Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) under the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). The paper also presents the Ambience Violence Indicator (AVI) Model, a behavioural-forensic framework designed to detect patterns of coercive control and measure the ambience of domination that produces psychological debilitation. Through integration of legal reasoning, forensic psychology, and social justice advocacy, this paper proposes that coercive control constitutes a measurable and prosecutable form of harm. It aims to strengthen the evidentiary bridge between law and psychology, ensuring that criminal accountability reflects both visible and invisible injuries. Author: Johanna Michaella de La Rosière, LLB Student (Charles Sturt University), Founder – Yellow Rose Foundation.