R v Cundell [2008] EWCA Crim 1420
The defendant did not plead guilty (to an either-way offence) until his case was sent to the Crown Court.
HELD The maximum discount of one-third is usually available in circumstances where a defendant accepts his guilt at the earliest opportunity. That may be at the first hearing before the magistrates’ court, but the earliest reasonable opportunity may come sooner. In such a case, a discount of about 25% would be reasonable.
Sentencing Guidelines Council
The SGC has published an update to the Magistrates Courts Sentencing Guidelines (including new guidelines for causing death by careless driving and causing death by driving; unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured drivers; and revisions to the explanatory material relating to the sentencing of dangerous offenders); definitive guidelines for causing death by driving; and (in light of the amendment of the dangerous offender provisions in CJA 2003 by the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008) a new Guide for Sentencers and Practitioners on dangerous offenders.
