{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-armed-forces-court-martial-rules-2009/article-56",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-armed-forces-court-martial-rules-2009/article-56.json",
  "legislation": "ukdsi/2009/9780111479216",
  "legislation_title": "The Armed Forces (Court Martial) Rules 2009",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-armed-forces-court-martial-rules-2009",
  "path": "article/56",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "56",
  "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 judge advocate 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 judge advocate 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 judge advocate), 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 judge advocate, or\n(b) the defendant does not plead (or does not plead intelligibly) to the charge,\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/ukdsi/2009/9780111479216/article/56",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-30T14:57:31.031139+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."
}