How Is Sexual Battery Different From Assault and Battery?

The definitions of assault and battery may vary slightly between jurisdictions, and the punishments may vary as well. However, the following definitions may be used:

• Assault is commonly defined as a threat of bodily harm that, according to the Cornell Law School, “Intentionally [puts] another person in reasonable apprehension of an imminent harmful or offensive contact.” To qualify as an assault, the aggressor doesn’t need to express intent to cause harm or follow through with inflicting physical harm on another person. For example, telling someone in a credible way “I am going to cut you!” may qualify as assault. 
• Battery, on the other hand, is usually defined as the physical impact being inflicted on another person. In other words, assault becomes battery once an actual, physical altercation has taken place. Therefore, when a victim is threatened but not touched, the crime is categorized as assault. If the victim was touched in a painful, harmful, violent, or otherwise offensive or dangerous way, they are likely committing battery.

These differ greatly from sexual battery or sexual assault because these are more general crimes rather than specifically sexual. However, if you threaten someone by stating “I am going to rape you” then you have committed assault, and if you follow through, you have also committed sexual battery.