having second thoughts about increasing the discount on sentence for an
early guilty plea. If a third off doesn't persuade somebody to plead then
I doubt if half will.
Besides, I don't think it works like that. A decent solicitor will advise
a guilty plea to claim any discount available if the evidence looks as if a
conviction is pretty certain so I doubt increasing that discount will make
much difference or save much money in practice. And the old hands know
that it's always worth pleading "not guilty" on less evidence than that and
wait until the day of the trial to see if the prosecution witnesses turn up
on the day and then change the plea to guilty claiming the 10% discount
currently available.
I doubt if Ken's proposal would have changed that.
John Waghorne
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