{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-martial-army-rules-2007/rule-43",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-martial-army-rules-2007/rule-43.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2007/3442",
  "legislation_title": "The Courts-Martial (Army) Rules 2007",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-martial-army-rules-2007",
  "path": "rule/43",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "43",
  "heading": "Guilty plea",
  "text": "(1) If the accused pleads guilty to a charge, the judge advocate shall, if it appears necessary to him and before he accepts the plea, satisfy himself that the accused 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(2) The judge advocate shall not accept a plea of guilty if, having regard to all the circumstances, he considers that he should not accept the plea.\n(3) Where—\n(a) a plea of guilty is not accepted by the judge advocate; or\n(b) the accused does not plead to the charge or does not plead to it intelligibly,\nthe judge advocate 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/2007/3442/rule/43",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T03:40:03.804021+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."
}