29Duty of Court

29 Duty of Court

(1)  The Court has a duty, as far as practicable –

(a) to ensure that the youth before the Court and the guardian, if present, understand –

(i) the nature and purpose of the proceedings; and

(ii) the right of the youth to have legal representation; and

(iii) the rights of the youth in relation to entering a plea and the consequences of entering a plea; and

(iv) the rights of the youth to have a copy of any report, or record of previous offending history, relating to the youth and to comment on any such report or record; and

(v) the right to make, and the importance of making, a plea in mitigation if the youth is guilty of the offence; and

(b) to respect the cultural identity of the youth before the Court.

(2)  In any proceedings under this Act, the Court has a duty to take into account the objectives specified in section 4 and the principles specified in section 5 .