Page 58 - Magistrates Conference 2019

The Sentencing Methodology Cont.

STEP 3 • (Where appropriate) a discount for a Guilty Plea - any

deviation from the usual discount requires particularly careful

justification and an explanation which is clearly expressed.

• “There is a long established principle that an early and/or non-

tactical plea of guilt attracts a ‘discount’, unless there is

compelling reason to deny it”: as per Justice Weekes in

Alexander Don Juan Nicholas, Gregory Tan and Oren Lewis

v The State Cr. App. Nos. 1-6 of 2013 at paragraph 57.

• No absolute rule as to what the discount should be, but as
general guidance, an order of one-third would be an

appropriate discount from the sentence which would

otherwise be imposed on a contested trial: see R v. Buffrey

(1993) 14 Cr. App. R. (S.) 511, CA.

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