After you have pleaded guilty to the charge as well as admitted to the Statement of Facts (SOF) and your previous convictions, you will be given an opportunity to inform the Court of any mitigating factors which you may have before the Court decides on and imposes the sentence against you for the offence you have pleaded guilty to.
Mitigating factors are the facts, circumstances and reasons which may help to justify a more lenient or less serious sentence being imposed against you. Mitigating factors can include information and facts relating to your own personal circumstances as well as those relating to the circumstances surrounding how the offence had been committed or occurred,
Your mitigating factors can be presented orally (spoken) or in a written document.
The mitigation plea (or plea in mitigation) refers to the written or oral presentation to the Court of your mitigation factors.
