PG (Plead Guilty) Mention, State Court of Singapore, August 2015 Raphael Louis (Ray), Defence lawyer or attorney for the accused, successfully argued and persuaded the court to impose a fine only. After the accused pleaded guilty and during mitigation, Ray argued...
It is a rare move for the prosecution to appeal for a criminal's sentence to be reduced, as reported in Singapore Law Watch . That is what the deputy public prosecutor did after a cyclist who rode into and injured an elderly pedestrian was jailed for eight weeks. The...
A decision of the High Court from Singapore Law Watch : Public Prosecutor v Haliffie Bin Mamat [2015] SGHC 224. Below are excerpts from the judgment. Background Facts A woman who took a lift in a stranger’s car in the early hours of the morning complained that he...
Probation Under sec 5(1) of the Probation of Offenders Act, the Court may sentence an accused to probation instead of a jail sentence. The main benefit and effect of probation are that the accused person does not get a criminal record. Sentence Fixed by Law...
An accused can definitely represent himself. However, a criminal trial is a complex procedure that may be difficult for an individual to navigate. As such, it may be advantageous to engage a lawyer. Benefits of having a lawyer: (a) Your lawyer can best represent your...
Under what circumstances can a person be charged? A person can be charged in Court only after investigations have been carried out. These investigations must be conducted by government-appointed enforcement agencies. When can a person be arrested? A person can be...
If you plead guilty to an offence, you may have a criminal record. This may have adverse consequences to your career. However, if an offence is compounded you will be acquitted of the offence and not have a criminal record. The composition of an offence is a...
An accused decides to claim trial when he does not agree with the charge and believes he is innocent, as opposed to admitting to an offence and pleading guilty. The moment an accused decides to claim trial to the charge, his case will be fixed for a Pre-Trial...
What happens when one pleads guilty? If an Accused pleads guilty to a charge, he admits fully to the offence. Before an Accused decides to plead guilty, he has to fully understand the nature and consequences of his plea. The Prosecuting Officer will read out the...
An arrest is carried out when the police have reasonable grounds to suspect that a person has committed a serious offence. The intention of an arrest is so as to take a person into custody for investigations, or to charge a person in Court. How does an arrest take...