When does a pitch assault cross the line between sport and crime?

Should criminal law be used more often to police serious incidents of violence during a game at whatever level of sport it occurs? Or should these matters be left to sport itself and thus not waste precious police and public resources?

A number of high-profile incidents globally prompt answers on the criminal law’s reach beyond the sideline.

The first happened earlier this month in Australia during an AFL game in Perth between local rivals West Coast Eagles and Freemantle. Freemantle’s Andrew Brayshaw was caught full face by a swinging left fist from West Coast’s Andrew Gaff.