There is a lot of overlap between the criminal offences of robbery and extortion. However, there are also significant differences and it is important to understand what the requirements are for each offence to make it clear which applies in the relevant circumstances. One of the main differences revolves around consent. For robbery to occur, the victim will not be giving consent for the items to be taken and instead they are taken by force. However, with extortion- there is a degree of consent (albeit unwittingly) and the victim does agree to the defendant taking the items to prevent the threat from occurring. Another difference is when the threat will occur. For robbery to have taken place, the threat has to be of immediate physical harm. With extortion, the threat of harm does not have to be at that point- it can be in the future and this will still amount of the offence of extortion being committed.