a. What are the effects on the level of sentence if the accused pleaded guilty?
A plea of guilty is a significant mitigating factor, as it may reflect the remorse of the accused and save the trouble and expenses of going through the process of a trial. The court may take into account the guilty plea when deciding whether or not a custodial sentence should be imposed on the accused. If it is considered appropriate by the Court to impose a custodial sentence, then a one-third discount to the overall length of imprisonment will normally be given to an accused person who pleads guilty at the earliest reasonable opportunity – the normally he or she will be given a full 1/3 discount of sentence. Lesser discounts may be given if the accused pleads guilty at a later stage, such as after the trial has begun. Nevertheless, all such discounts are given at the discretion of the judge.