{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/naval-courts-martial-general-orders-royal-navy-1991/article-35",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/naval-courts-martial-general-orders-royal-navy-1991/article-35.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1991/2737",
  "legislation_title": "The Naval Courts-Martial General Orders (Royal Navy) 1991",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/naval-courts-martial-general-orders-royal-navy-1991",
  "path": "article/35",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "35",
  "heading": "Changes of plea",
  "text": "–\n(1) An accused who has pleaded not guilty may at any time before the court close to deliberate on their finding withdraw his plea of not guilty and substitute a plea of guilty (including a plea of guilty under Order 31(2)) and in such case the court shall, if they are satisfied that they can accept the accused’s changed plea under these Orders record a finding in accordance with the accused’s change of plea and so far as is necessary proceed as directed by Order 34.\n(2) If at any time during the trial it appears to the court that an accused who has pleaded guilty does not understand the effect of his plea or the nature of the charge, the court shall enter a plea of not guilty and proceed with the trial accordingly.\n(3) When a court enter a plea of not guilty in respect of any charge under paragraph (2) of this Order, they shall, if there was a charge laid in the alternative thereto which the prosecutor withdrew under Order 33, reinstate such alternative charge, arraign the accused thereon and proceed with the trial as if it had never been withdrawn.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/2737/article/35",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T14:33:13.386859+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."
}