Code for Crown Prosecutors - Skadden

The Code for Crown ProsecutorsAccepting Guilty Pleas10.1 Defendants may want to plead guilty to some, but not all, of thecharges. Alternatively, they may want to plead guilty to adifferent, possibly less serious, charge because they areadmitting only part of the crime.10.2 Prosecutors should only accept the defendant’s plea if they thinkthe court is able to pass a sentence that matches the seriousnessof the offending, particularly where there are aggravatingfeatures. Prosecutors must never accept a guilty plea justbecause it is convenient.10.3 In considering whether the pleas offered are acceptable,prosecutors should ensure that the interests and, where possible,the views of the victim, or in appropriate cases the views of thevictim’s family, are taken into account when deciding whether itis in the public interest to accept the plea. However, the decisionrests with the prosecutor.10.4 It must be made clear to the court on what basis any plea isadvanced and accepted. In cases where a defendant pleadsguilty to the charges but on the basis of facts that are differentfrom the prosecution case, and where this may significantlyaffect sentence, the court should be invited to hear evidence todetermine what happened, and then sentence on that basis.10.5 Where a defendant has previously indicated that he or she willask the court to take an offence into consideration whensentencing, but then declines to admit that offence at court,prosecutors will consider whether a prosecution is required forthat offence. Prosecutors should explain to the defence advocateand the court that the prosecution of that offence may besubject to further review.24