What will happen if I plead guilty in the Magistrates Court or Children's Court?

As soon as you plead guilty, the court can proceed to impose a penalty on you for the offence. The duty lawyer can represent you at the time you plead guilty and can also speak on your behalf before the court decides on the appropriate penalty to impose.

Sometimes, the court will not impose a penalty on you immediately and may instead ask you to come back to court on a later date so that more information, such as a pre-sentence report, can be obtained before it imposes a penalty on you. You can still ask the duty lawyer to advise and represent you on the date that you return, however, it may not be the same duty lawyer that represented you previously.