Pleading guilty – discount in sentencing?
A plea of guilty reflects the remorse of an accused and saves court time. According to case law, if an accused pleads guilty at the first opportunity, usually the court will give a one-third discount to the term of imprisonment which would otherwise be imposed upon conviction after trial. Lesser discounts will be given if an accused pleads guilty at any later stage or after the trial has begun. All such discounts are at the discretion of the trial judge.
