If you decide to plead guilty, you will be given an opportunity to inform the Judge of any mitigating factors which you may have and the Judge impose a sentence against you (e.g. to pay a fine or serve a period of imprisonment). If you decide to claim trial, a separate Court hearing (known as…
If the plea bargaining and negotiation process requires more time to take place, the Court may assign the case to be dealt with in an administrative hearing known as a Pre-Trial Conference (PTC). A PTC is a type of Court hearing which is conducted in a closed-door setting by a Judge and attended by your…
You may make a written appeal (also known as representations) to the Prosecution (i.e. the Public Prosecutor / Attorney-General’s Chambers or the Police or other enforcement agencies which is prosecuting the charge against you Court) to ask them to take a more lenient course of action against you or to take a less serious view…
If you require more time to prepare your case or if you need to consult a lawyer before you decide on your next course of action, you may request for the Court to adjourn the case to another later date. The Court will consider the reasons for your request for an adjournment and then decide…
When you are first required to attend in Court to answer to the charge, the charge (and the particulars of the criminal offence that was allegedly committed by you) will be formally read and explained to you in Court in the language which you understand and by an interpreter if necessary. The charge will contain…