Often when a defendant first appears in court the case is adjourned so the defendant can obtain legal advice or otherwise prepare for the case. The court has a general power to adjourn cases [see s17 Magistrates Court Act 1991 (SA)].

When a case is adjourned it is listed for plea or mention at the next appearance. This means that on that next appearance the defendant could plead guilty and have the matter dealt with and finalised. Otherwise the case could only be mentioned in order to be adjourned to a later date.

A defendant who is in custody and is not granted bail is remanded in custody to appear on the next court date and is brought back to court by the authorities.