1. The current general practice in sentencing is that an applicant is afforded a full one-third discount from the starting point for sentence, if a plea of guilty is tendered up to and until the first day of trial. The judgment reviews that practice and provides for a revised practice. 2. In the revised practice, the following principles remain the same for all cases: (i) the court will retain an overriding discretion in sentencing and (ii) the court’s practice of not having regard to the strength of the prosecution case in determining the discount to be afforded for a plea of guilty. 3. The revised practice only applies to a defendant who in future will reach the stages in criminal proceedings for which revised discounts are identified (e.g. it applies to a defendant who is currently in the magistracy but will be committed or transferred for trial in the future). Defendants whose trial dates have already been fixed will benefit from the previous practice. 4. The effect of this judgment is to reflect the principle that the utilitarian value of a guilty plea is greater the earlier it is given. Pleas on first day of trial and thereafter (applicable at all levels of court) 5. For pleas of guilty made on the first day of trial, the appropriate discount is 20% from the starting point for sentence. 6. For pleas of guilty made during the trial itself (after the first day of trial), the discount would usually be less than 20%. The actual discount will reflect the circumstances in which the plea was tendered. The Court of First Instance 7. For cases to be heard in the Court of First Instance: the stage to afford a full one-third discount from the starting point is at the committal (i.e. the defendant should then be committed for sentence to the Court of First Instance). 8. If the indication to plead guilty is made after committal, up to the fixing of trial dates by the Listing Judge, the appropriate discount is 25% from the starting point. 9. After trial dates have been fixed, but before the first day of trial, the appropriate discount for an indication of plea of guilty lies between 25% and 20% from the starting point. The judge will have regard to the time at which the indication was given and all other relevant circumstances. The District Court 10. For cases transferred to the District Court: a full one-third discount from the starting point is to be afforded to defendants who indicate a guilty plea on the first or a subsequent Plea Day. 11. Defendants who indicate a plea of guilty between the fixing of trial dates at the Plea Day and the first day of trial are to be afforded discount of between 25% and 20% from the starting point. The judge will have regard to the time at which the indication was given and all other relevant circumstances. The Magistracy 12. For cases in the Magistracies, the opportunity to secure a one-third discount from the starting point occurs when the defendant is asked to tender a plea to the charge; if trial dates are fixed that opportunity is lost. 13. If the defendant indicates before the first day of trial that he wishes to plead guilty, the discount to be afforded lies between 25% and 20% of the starting point for sentence. The magistrate will have regard to the time at which the indication was given and all other relevant circumstances.