97Guilty pleas and committal for sentence

#### 97 Guilty pleas and committal for sentence 97 Guilty pleas and committal for sentence > > (1) An accused person may at any time in committal proceedings plead guilty to an offence. > > > (2) The Judge may accept or reject a guilty plea. > > > (3) The Judge must not accept a guilty plea before the time at which an accused person may be committed for sentence under section 95. > > > (4) Rejection of a guilty plea does not prevent an accused person from pleading guilty at a later stage in the committal proceedings. > > > (5) If the guilty plea is rejected by the Judge, the committal proceedings continue as if the accused person had not pleaded guilty. > > > (6) If the guilty plea is accepted, the Judge must commit the accused person to the District Court or the Supreme Court for sentence. > > **s 97:** Ins 2001 No 119, Sch 1 \[43\]. Subst 2017 No 55, Sch 1 \[3\]. Am 2025 No 61, Sch 2.31\[9\].