At the defendant's first appearance in court the charge is read out so that the offence that the defendant is charged with is clear. Usually the defendant is not required to enter a plea (that is to say whether she or he is guilty or not guilty) at this first appearance, and should not do so, without legal advice.

The defendant's options are:

It is important that the defendant get legal advice about their plea as soon as possible. If a defendant enters a guilty plea within 4 weeks of her or his first appearance in court, then the court may reduce the sentence that would otherwise have been imposed by up to 40 per cent (although there are some sentences that can never be reduced). The closer a matter gets to trial the less the court may reduce the sentence [see Sentencing Act 2017 (SA) s 39].

For more information, see also The Sentencing Process, Matters affecting sentence.