When someone close to you is pleading guilty to a criminal or traffic charge, the magistrate is permitted to take into account his or her character.
In fact, evidence of good character – as well as any steps taken to make up for the offending conduct and/or reduce the likelihood of future offending – may persuade the magistrate to impose a more lenient penalty than he or she would otherwise hand down.
You can assist your friend or loved-one to establish good character by providing them with a character reference for court.
A character reference is a letter addressed to the magistrate (in the local or children's court) or to the judge (in the district or supreme court) which he or she will read before passing sentence.
