{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/armed-forces-service-civilian-court-rules-2009/article-43",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/armed-forces-service-civilian-court-rules-2009/article-43.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2009/1209",
  "legislation_title": "The Armed Forces (Service Civilian Court) Rules 2009",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/armed-forces-service-civilian-court-rules-2009",
  "path": "article/43",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "43",
  "heading": "Arraignment",
  "text": "(1) A defendant shall be arraigned in preliminary proceedings on each charge brought against him, but need not be arraigned on every charge at the same time.\n(2) A defendant shall be required to plead separately to each charge on which he is arraigned.\n(3) Where a defendant pleads guilty to a charge, the court may accept the plea if satisfied that the defendant understands—\n(a) the nature of the charge;\n(b) the general effect of the plea; and\n(c) the difference in procedure following pleas of guilty and not guilty.\n(4) Where the court accepts a plea of a guilty to a charge—\n(a) the defendant shall stand convicted of the charge; and\n(b) unless there is a further charge against him to which he has not pleaded guilty (or as respects which a plea of guilty has not been accepted by the court), the court administration officer shall appoint a time and place for sentencing proceedings.\n(5) Where—\n(a) a plea of guilty is not accepted by the court, or\n(b) the defendant does not plead (or does not plead intelligibly) to the charge,\nthe court shall record a plea of not guilty.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/1209/article/43",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T03:12:14.934896+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}