Accepting a guilty plea

Sometimes a defendant may want to plead guilty to some but not all of the charges, or to a different, possibly less serious, offence. Prosecutors should only agree to this if they think the court is able to pass a sentence that matched the seriousness of the offending. What prosecutors cannot do is ask the judge or the magistrates to pass a particular type of sentence.

In deciding whether the pleas offered are acceptable, prosecutors should ensure that the interests of the victim, or in appropriate cases the views of the victim's family, are taken into account when deciding whether it is in the public interest to accept the plea. However, the decision rests with the prosecutor.