When you decide to plead guilty, this means you accept without qualification contained in a document known as the Statement of Facts (SOF) which contain the individual elements and criteria of the charge and describe the facts in relation to how the offence was committed, and that he has committed the offence to which he is pleading guilty. As a consequence of your guilty plea, a conviction will be recorded against you and the Court will impose a sentence on you. The conviction/sentence forms part of your records saves for spent convictions. The Court can show leniency to you if you plead guilty at an early stage, unless the case is one where you were caught red-handed in the commission of the offence.
Plea negotiation and bargaining with the Prosecution may lead to charges being amended and as a result you may plead guilty to a less serious charge. Pleading guilty, like cooperation with police, first time offending, restitution and remorse, are some of the mitigating of factors that can help the Court in arriving at the appropriate sentence.