Whether you are pleading guilty or not guilty to an offence, the Court will listen to your side of the story and take your version of events into account when making a judgment or delivering a sentence.
If you intend to plead guilty as charged, your Solicitor will make submissions to the Court in mitigation on your behalf. That is, explaining what led you to offend and what other reasonable explanation or context you can provide in relation to your offending.
If you contest the charge against you, you will have the opportunity to give evidence in Court. You are not required to give evidence and in fact, in certain instances, your legal representatives may advise you against doing so. Whether or not you give evidence in a contested hearing is an important strategic decision in relation to your case and needs to be carefully considered by you and your legal representative before a decision is made.