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].