# The Courts-Martial (Royal Navy) Rules 1997, Article 37: Guilty plea


(1) If an accused pleads guilty to a charge, the judge advocate shall, if it appears necessary to him and before the court accepts the plea, satisfy himself that the accused understands—
(a) the nature of the charge;
(b) the general effect of the plea; and
(c) the difference in procedure following pleas of guilty and not guilty.
(2) The court shall not accept a plea of guilty if—
(a) the court is not satisfied that the accused understands the nature of the charge or the effect of his plea;
(b) the judge advocate, having regard to all the circumstances, considers that the court should not accept the plea;
(c) the accused is liable, if convicted, to a sentence of death.
(3) Where—
(a) a plea of guilty is not accepted by the court; or
(b) the accused does not plead to the charge or does not plead to it intelligibly,
the court shall enter a plea of not guilty.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997/170/article/37 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/courts-martial-royal-navy-rules-1997/article-37
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.