pleads guilty, the Magistrate will sentence the defendant or commit them for sentence to a higher court. Witnesses are not usually called to give evidence on a plea of guilty and the Magistrate uses an agreed statement of facts prepared by the Prosecution. If the accused pleads not guilty the matter must go to either a hearing in the Local/Magistrates Court, or a trial in a higher court. The matter is set down for a Case Management Hearing and a date will be set for a Committal or Hearing. 4. Committal Proceeding In more serious cases a committal hearing is required. At a committal hearing, a Magistrate will listen to the evidence and decide if there is sufficient evidence for the defendant to be tried in either the County/District or the Supreme Court. If the Magistrate decides that there is sufficient evidence, then the defendant will be committed for trial. This means the matter will be heard in one of the higher courts at a later date. Alternatively the Magistrate may decide that there is not enough evidence and discharge the defendant. 5. Hearing A hearing occurs in the Magistrates/Local Court. There is no jury and the Magistrate makes all the decisions and judgments. During the hearing the witnesses give their evidence in the court, and other forms of evidence may be produced. The Prosecution must prove its case to the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt. The Magistrate hears all the evidence and decides the verdict. If it is