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Anon at 13:48:

You’re conflating the online process with a physical appearance in the dock and that’s precisely the concern. I don’t know if you have experience of online activity but the concern is that justice by smartphone risks trivialising what is a decision which may be anything but trivial in its consequences. The fact the chairman of the bench doesn’t advise on the wider repercussions of pleading guilty isn’t relevant. What is relevant is the risk that such a decision is trivialised by virtue of the medium in which it is taken. As a JP I am sure you appreciate the aura of the courtroom which focuses the mind of defendants on the consequences of their decisions - otherwise why do so many defendants seek out the duty solicitor upon their arrival at court? Who do they seek out before clicking on the guilty button on their smartphone in Starbucks?