ABSTRACT
Even though a defendant is not called upon to plead at the holding of a preliminary enquiry, he may still indicate that he is guilty. In such a case the magistrate may, if statute provides, proceed to commit the defendant ‘for sentence’ rather than ‘for trial’. Statute in most jurisdictions, Guyana and Jamaica being notable exceptions, enable the magistrate to accept a guilty plea even to a matter triable only on indictment and thereafter to commit the defendant to the High Court for sentence.
