DURRANT, Justice.
11 The central issue presented in this appeal is whether the district court deprived MR., a victim of sexual abuse, of his constitutional and statutory right to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing. At that hearing, defendant pleaded guilty to lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemean- or. He had previously been charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first degree felony, and had pleaded not guilty. The reduction in the charge was the result of a plea bargain negotiated between defendant and the State. Prior to the change of plea hearing, M.R.'s mother had advised the prosecutor of M.R.'s and her own desire to make a statement to the court. M.R. and his mother both attended this hearing and, during a recess, M.R.'s mother reiterated to the [758]*758prosecutor that she and M.R. wished to be heard. The prosecutor did not, however, advise the court of this request. In addition, neither M.R. nor his mother petitioned the court directly for an opportunity to speak. Unaware of M.R.'s request to be heard, the court accepted the defendant's guilty plea to the reduced charge and set the matter for sentencing.
2 Following this change of plea hearing, M.R.'s mother, acting on behalf of MR., obtained legal assistance and filed two motions to set aside the plea bargain. In response, the State and defendant filed separate motions to strike M.R.'s pleadings. At the sentencing hearing, the district court heard from M.R. and his mother regarding the appropriateness of the plea bargain, and permitted argument from M.R.'s counsel. Thereafter, the court "informally reopen[ed] the plea for the purpose of [accepting M.R.'s and his mother's] testimony." The court then accepted the testimony that it had just heard. Having accepted M.R's and his mother's testimony, the court "reaffirm[ed defendant's] plea at the class A level." The court then denied both of M.R.'s pending motions and sentenced defendant to eight months in jail on the class A misdemeanor charge. Based on these facts, we conclude that M.R. was initially denied his right to be heard at the change of plea hearing in violation of the Utah Constitution and related statutes, but that the court thereafter remedied this violation by reopening the change of plea hearing and receiving testimony from M.R. and his mother, and permitting argument from M.R.'s counsel. We therefore affirm.
BACKGROUND
T3 On November 3, 1999, the Tooele County Attorney's Office charged defendant with aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first degree felony, in violation of section 76-5-404.1(8) of the Utah Code. Following a preliminary hearing in which both the victim, M.R., and his mother testified, the district court bound defendant over for trial.
4 A few weeks later the prosecutor handling defendant's case sent M.R.'s mother a letter explaining that defendant had requested a plea bargain. After receiving this letter, M.R.'s mother, according to her affidavit, met with the prosecutor and obtained an assurance that the first degree felony charge would not be reduced due to the strong evidence of guilt compiled against defendant.
T5 Nevertheless, the prosecutor subsequently offered to reduce the first degree felony charge to lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor, in return for a guilty plea. See Utah Code Ann. § 76-9-702.5 (1999). M.R.'s mother, upon learning of the State's extension of this offer and defendant's acceptance, contacted the prosecutor and expressed a desire to tell the district court how her family, including MR., felt about the proposed plea. The prosecutor advised her to attend the change of plea hearing scheduled for October 24, 2000.
I. CHANGE OF PLEA HEARING
T6 M.R. and his mother appeared at this change of plea hearing as directed. At a recess during this proceeding, M.R.'s mother approached the prosecutor, objected to the reduced charge, and reiterated M.R.'s, and her own, desire to make a statement.1 She later testified that she believed the prosecutor was going to inform the district court of her request. Acknowledging that he did not know that M.R. had a right to be heard either directly or through his legal guardian, the prosecutor maintained the following: (1) he did not intentionally deprive M.R. of his right to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing, (2) he did not tell M.R.'s mother she and MR. had no right to testify at the plea hearing, and (8) he told M.R.'s mother that she would eventually have an opportunity to address the court in the pre-sentence report and at the sentencing hearing.
[759]*75917 Notwithstanding his conversations with M.R.'s mother, the prosecutor did not inform the district court that M.R. and his mother had requested to be heard at the change of plea hearing. MR. and his mother also failed to bring the issue to the court's attention. The court therefore proceeded with defendant's change of plea hearing unaware of M.R.'s request. Noting the "dramatic" reduction in the charge, the court refused to be limited to the four-month sentence recommended in the stipulated plea agreement. The State and defendant responded to the court's concern by agreeing to delete the stipulated sentence provision. The court then accepted defendant's guilty plea to the class A misdemeanor charge and set the matter for sentencing.
II. SENTENCING HEARING
1 8 Subsequently, M.R.'s mother, acting on behalf of MR., obtained legal assistance and filed two motions with the district court: a motion for a misplea and a motion to reject the plea bargain. In response, the prosecutor and defendant filed separate motions to strike M.R.'s pleadings, claiming that M.R. lacked standing to set aside the plea because he was not a party to the criminal proceeding.2
T9 Without ruling on whether M.R. had standing to challenge defendant's guilty plea, the district court held defendant's sentencing hearing on November 27, 2000. At the start of this hearing, M.R.'s counsel moved the court to set aside the accepted plea. The court initially questioned whether M.R. had the right to be heard but then allowed MR. and his mother to testify regarding the propriety of the plea bargain. Despite its reservations, the court also permitted extensive argument from M.R.'s counsel.
[10 M.R. and his mother testified that the court should have rejected the plea bargain. Specifically, M.R. declared, "I don't think it's right that [defendant] gets that less of a plea agreement because [of] what he's donel[.] He's done it to me ... and ... he's hurt my whole family." M.R.'s mother testified that "the [cJourt should reject the plea bargain [because] a misdemeanor sentence dfid] not truly reflect the seriousness of the offenses committed by [defendant] the same way that a felony conviction would."3 She further averred that she believed the prosecutor was going to inform the court of M.R.'s, and her own, desire to make a statement at defendant's change of plea hearing. She also stated that she did not know she could interrupt the change of plea hearing and address the court directly.
{11 After M.R. and his mother had testified, the district court turned its attention to M.R.'s attorney and inquired whether MR. was entitled to use counsel to assert his right to be heard. In response to the court's query, M.R.'s counsel argued that the Vice-tims' Rights Amendment of the Utah Constitution placed M.R. on equal footing with defendant and envisioned that MR. could employ an attorney in exercising his legal rights. M.R.'s counsel then argued that (1) MR. had the right to be heard before the court's acceptance of defendant's plea, (2) M.R.'s right to be heard had been violated, and (3) the court should grant a misplea and hear from MR. before accepting any subsequent plea between the State and defendant. The prosecutor and defendant both objected, asserting that M.R. lacked standing to challenge the accepted plea and that the prosecutor had discretion to determine how defendant's case was negotiated.
{12 Following these objections, the district court noted that it had not been previously informed by M.R. or his representative, ie., his mother, that MR. desired to be heard at the change of plea hearing. Despite this lack of notification, the court decided to "informally" reopen the plea hearing in order to accept the testimony that it had just heard from MR. and his mother. Having accepted this testimony, the court "reaffirm[(ed defendant's] plea at the class A level." The court [760]*760then denied both of M.R.'s pending motions, sentenced defendant to eight months in jail on the class A misdemeanor charge, and fined him.4
III. CLAIMS ON APPEAL
113 MR. immediately appealed to the Utah Court of Appeals, which certified M.R.'s appeal to us, concluding that a "petition for writ of certiorari would likely be ... granted [because] resolution of the case ha[d] potentially broad-reaching impact." See Utah R.App. P. 43(c)(1).
14 On appeal, M.R., by and through his legal guardian, contends that (1) he had the right to seek appellate review of the district court's adverse rulings on his two motions, (2) he had the right to be heard through counsel with respect to legal issues related to the constitutional and statutory rights afforded him as a victim, (8) he had a constitutional and statutory right to be heard regarding the appropriateness of the plea bargain, (4) he properly invoked his right to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing by submitting a request to the prosecutor, and (5) the court, through the negligence of the prosecutor, denied him his right to be heard by accepting the plea bargain without hearing from him.
€ 15 The State agrees with M.R. on several issues, including the following: (1) a crime victim may seek appellate review of decisions affecting his or her rights as a victim, (2) a crime victim may employ counsel in exercising his or her constitutional and statutory rights, and (8) a erime victim has a constitutional and statutory right to be heard upon request at a change of plea hearing. The State argues, however, that M.R. waived his right to be heard when he failed to assert this right at the change of plea hearing. The State also maintains that the court cured any violation by "informally reopen[ing]" defendant's plea, accepting the testimony regarding the propriety of the plea that had been offered earlier in the sentencing hearing by M.R. and his mother, allowing argument by M.R.'s counsel, and reaffirming the plea at the class A misdemeanor level. Further, the State asserts that even if M.R.'s right to be heard was violated, a misplea is not an available remedy under sections 77-38-11 and T7--38-12 of the Rights of Crime Victims Act.
{16 Defendant asserts that M.R. lacks standing to seek appellate review on all of these issues. Like the State, he also claims that the Utah Code precludes us from declaring a misplea. He further alleges that even if the declaration of a misplea is an available remedy under the Utah Code, such a declaration would violate the double jeopardy clauses of both the United States Constitution and the Utah Constitution.
T 17 We conclude that M.R. was entitled to appellate review of the district court's rulings related to his right to be heard. We further hold that MR., as the victim of a crime, had both a constitutional and statutory right to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing and that he properly invoked this right by informing the prosecutor that he desired to be heard. Finally, we conclude that the court remedied its initial violation of M.R.'s right to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing by reopening the plea hearing and receiving testimony from MR. and his mother, and by permitting argument from M.R.'s counsel.
ANALYSIS
I. THE VICTIMS RIGHTS AMENDMENT, THE VICTIMS' RIGHTS ACT, AND THE RIGHTS OF CRIME VICTIMS ACT
[ 18 In 1987, the Utah Legislature enacted the Victims' Rights Act. See Utah Code Ann. §§ 77-87-1 to -5 (1999). This statute included, among other things, a bill of rights for victims, id. § 77-87-38, and declared that these rights must be "protected in a manner no less vigorous than protections afforded criminal defendants." Id. § 77T-37-1. The Utah Legislature then passed the Victims' Rights Amendment, which was ratified by Utah citizens on November 8, 1994, and took [761]*761effect on January 1, 1995.5 Utah Const. art. I, § 28 compiler's notes. This constitutional amendment bestowed specific rights upon crime victims and gave the Utah Legislature the power to "enforce and define [its terms] by statute." Acting pursuant to this authority, the Utah Legislature subsequently enacted the Rights of Crime Victims Act. Utah Code Ann. §§ 77-38-1 to -14 (1999 & Supp. 2001). This act elaborated upon the rights afforded crime victims under the Victims' Rights Amendment and defined several terms included in the amendment.6 Id.
II. APPLICABLE STANDARD OF REVIEW
119 Because this appeal asks us to analyze one of the rights afforded crime vice-tims (ie., M.R.'s right to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing), we are called upon to interpret the meaning of the Victims' Rights Amendment, the Victims' Rights Act, and the Rights of Crime Victims Act. Because interpreting the Utah Constitution and the Utah Code presents questions of law, we review these questions for correctness and give no deference to the district court's legal conclusions. See Cache County v. Property Div. of the Utah State Tax Comm'n, 922 P.2d 758, 766 (Utah 1996).
III. CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY INTERPRETATION
120 In accordance with the analytical hierarchy relative to constitutions and statutes, we first examine the textual language of the Victims Rights Amendment and look secondly to the Victims' Rights Act and the Rights of Crime Victims Act. In construing the Victims' Rights Amendment, we initially scrutinize the plain meaning of the constitutional provision. See Utah Sch. Bds. Ass'n v. Utah State Bd. of Educ., 2001 UT 2, ¶ 13, 17 P.3d 1125. We need not inquire beyond the plain meaning of the amendment unless we find it ambiguous. Id. Our inquiry is similar in reviewing the Victims' Rights Act and the Rights of Crime Victims Act. See State v. Ostler, 2001 UT 68, ¶ 7, 31 P.3d 528. As with our constitutional analysis, we look first to the plain meaning of the statutes and go no further unless they are ambiguous. See id.
IV. MR. HAD THE RIGHT TO APPEAL ADVERSE RULINGS RELATED TO HIS MOTION FOR A MISPLEA AND HIS MOTION TO REJECT THE PLEA BARGAIN
121 Applying the principles outlined above, we first address whether M.R. had the [762]*762right to appeal the district court's rulings regarding his right to be heard. The Vice-tims' Rights Amendment does not address the question of M.R.'s right to appeal decisions impacting his right to be heard. The Rights of Crime Victims Act is on point, however, and we conclude that M.R. had the right to seek appellate review pursuant to the plain meaning of that statute. See Utah Code Ann. § 77-88-11(2)(b)(c) (1999).
122 We resolve this issue under a plain meaning analysis for two reasons. First, subsection 77-88-11(2)(b) explicitly provides that "[aldverse rulings on ... a motion or request brought by a victim of a crime or a representative of a victim of a crime may be appealed under the rules governing appellate actions, provided that no appeal shall constitute grounds for delaying any criminal ... proceeding." Id. § T7-38-11(2)(b). Second, subsection 77-88-11(2)(c) of the Utah Code declares that "(aln appellate court shall review all such properly presented issues, including issues that are capable of repetition but would otherwise evade review." Id. § 7i-38-11@2)(c). In short, these two provisions demonstrate (1) that crime victims possess the right to appeal rulings on motions related to their rights as a victim and (2) that an appellate court must review appeals of such a nature. According ly, M.R.'s appeal is properly before us.
V. MR. POSSESSED A CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY RIGHT TO BE HEARD UPON REQUEST AT IMPORTANT CRIMINAL JUSTICE HEARINGS
A. Defendant's Change Of Plea Hearing Constituted An - Important Criminal Justice Hearing Under Both The Utah Constitution And The Utah Code
123 We next address whether M.R. had the right to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing. We conclude that he did, upon request, have such a right pursuant to the plain meaning of the Victims' Rights Amendment and subsections 77-38-4(1) and Ti-38-2(5)(c) of the Rights of Crime Victims Act.
1 24 In pertinent part, the Victims' Rights Amendment states as follows:
(1) To preserve and protect victims' rights to justice and due process, victims of crimes have [the right]:
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(b) Upon request, to be ... heard at important criminal justice hearings related to the victim, either in person or through a lawful representative, onee a criminal information or indictment charging a crime has been publicly filed in court.]
Utah Const. art. I, § 28(1)(b) (emphasis added). Using comparable language, section Ti-38-4 of the Rights of Crime Victims Act similarly declares that "[the victim of a crime shall have ... the right to be heard at important eriminal . justice hearings...." Utah Code Ann. § 77-88-4(1) (1999).
1 25 Given that both the Utah Constitution and the Utah Code grant crime vice-tims the right to be heard at "important criminal justice hearings," the question that arises is what constitutes an "important criminal justice hearing" under the Victims' Rights Amendment and the Utah Code. Seetion 77-38-2 of the Rights of Crime Victims Act answers this question with respect to both the Utah Constitution and the Utah Code;7 it defines "important criminal justice hearings" involving the disposition of charges in this way:
For the purposes of this chapter and the Utah - Constitution{,][iImportant - eriminal justice hearings ... means the following proceedings in felony eriminal cases ...: any court proceeding involving the disposition of charges against a defendant [except for] unanticipated proceedings to take an admission or a plea of guilty as charged to all charges previously filed or any plea taken at an initial appearance.
Utah Code Ann. § 77-88-2(5)(c) (1999). Thus, the plain language of the statute defines "important criminal justice hearings" as any proceeding involving the disposition of [763]*763felony charges against a defendant, with two notable exceptions: (1) a plea taken at an initial appearance and (2) a proceeding in which a defendant accepts responsibility for all of the charges previously filed.8 Id.
126 Here, the change of plea hearing conducted by the district court fell within the definition of an important criminal justice hearing because it disposed of a first degree felony charge filed against defendant in return for a guilty plea on a class A misdemeanor. Further, neither exception applied because the hearing was not an initial appearance and the defendant did not accept responsibility for the first degree felony charge previously filed. Accordingly, M.R.'s constitutional and statutory right to be heard upon request at important criminal justice hearings included the right to be heard upon request at defendant's change of plea hearing.
B. MR. Invoked His Right To Be Heard At Defendant's Change Of Plea Hearing By Informing The Prosecutor That He Wished To Speak
127 While it is clear that the Utah Constitution and the Utah Code afforded MR. the right to be heard upon request at defendant's change of plea hearing, see Part V(A) supra, neither the constitution nor the code mandates how M.R.'s request must be submitted. Relying on the Victims' Rights Act and the Rights of Crime Victims Act, MR. argues that a request to be heard at a plea hearing suffices if it is submitted either to the district court or to the prosecutor. The State contends that the two statutes require a crime victim to petition the court directly. After examining the relevant constitutional and statutory authority, we are satisfied that a victim's right to be heard at a plea hearing is triggered where a request has been submitted to the prosecutor handling the case.
128 We begin our analysis with the Vice-tims' Rights Amendment. This constitutional provision merely notes that the right to be heard is activated "upon request." Utah Const. art. I, § 28(b). Unlike the previous constitutional language we have analyzed, we find this language ambiguous and undefined. We thus "consider all other relevant factors." In re Inquiry Concerning a Judge, the Honorable David S. Young, 1999 UT 6, ¶ 15, 976 P.2d 581. In particular, we seek guidance from the statutes related to the Victims' Rights Amendment (Le., the Victims' Rights Act and the Rights of Crime Victims Act). Cf. In re Worthen, 926 P.2d 853, 867 (Utah 1996).
129 The Victims' Rights Act states that "[vlictims ... have [the] right to be informed and assisted as to their role in the criminal justice process[, and a/ll criminal justice agencies have the duty to provide this information and assistance." - Utah Code Ann. § 77-87-8(1)(b) (Supp.2001) (emphasis added). Additionally, the Victims' Rights Act declares that "[vlictims ... have a right to clear explanations regarding relevant legal proceedings[, and a/ll criminal justice agencies have the duty to provide these explanations." - Id. § Ti-37-8(1)(c) (Supp.2001) (emphasis added). Because prosecutors are a component of the eriminal justice system and the Victims' Rights Act applies to "all erimi-nal justice agencies," the aforementioned duties necessarily fall upon prosecutors. Id. § Ti-87T-3(1)(b)-(c). - Hence, we conclude that prosecutors must "assist" victims in exercising their right to be heard at plea hearings and provide them with "clear explanations regarding [such] proceedings." Id.
§$30 We further conclude that a prosecutor's obligation to provide "assistance" to the victim should mean, at a minimum, that a victim may submit a request to be heard at a plea hearing to a prosecutor and expect that the request will be forwarded to the court. Likewise, a prosecutor's obligation to provide a "clear explanation" of events occurring at a plea hearing should mean that a victim can rely on a prosecutor's statement indicating he or she will convey a request to be heard to the district court. We therefore hold that a victim may deliver a request to be heard at a plea hearing to a [764]*764prosecutor and that a prosecutor receiving such a request must convey it to the court.
€31 This conclusion is supported by the text of the Rights of Crime Victims Act because that statute, while explicitly mandating direct requests in some instances, does not require direct requests to be heard at plea hearings. For example, a victim's request to be heard at an accused's initial appearance is predicated expressly upon delivering a "request to the judge hearing the matter." Utah Code Ann. § 77-88-4(1) (1999). This same section, however, conveys a broad right to be heard at various legal proceedings-including plea hearings-without mentioning how the request to be heard must be made.9 Id. Had the Utah Legislature intended to require victims to petition the district court directly in order to invoke their right to be heard at plea hearings, it could have inserted the phrase, "upon request to the judge," into that sentence as well. Cf State v. Chaney, 1999 UT App. 309, 4 46, 989 P.2d 1091 (concluding that, due to the placement of the word "intentionally," the Utah Legislature intended to modify only one verb rather than the entire sentence). We conclude that by electing not to incorporate this phrase when referring to plea hearings the Legislature implicitly authorized other methods of delivering requests to be heard. Accordingly, the language of the Rights of Crime Victims Act contradicts the State's theory that requests to be heard at a plea hearing must be delivered directly to the district court."10
132 In addition to having a duty to convey requests to be heard under the Vice-tims' Rights Act and the Rights of Crime Victims Act, prosecutors also have a duty to convey requests to be heard as officers of the court. Prosecutors must convey such requests because they are obligated to alert the court when they know that the court lacks relevant information. Cf. Clingman v. State, 23 P.3d 27, 29 (Wyo.2001). This duty, which is incumbent upon all attorneys, is magnified for prosecutors because, as our case law has repeatedly noted, prosecutors have unique responsibilities. See, eg., State v. Thomas, 1999 UT 2, ¶ 24 n. 8, 974 P.2d 269. Specifically, a prosecutor is a minister of justice, id., possessing "duties that rise above those of privately employed attorneys." - State v. Saunders, 1999 UT 59, 131, 992 P.2d 951. The prosecutor "is the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling as its obligation to govern at all; and whose interest ... in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win ... but that justice shall be done." State v. Emmett, 839 P.2d 781, 787 (Utah 1992).
133 In light of the fact that prosecutors must defend and uphold the State's interest in procuring justice, they have an obligation to ensure that the constitutional rights of crime victims are honored and protected. In fact, the Victimg' Rights Act explicitly declares that the rights extended to crime victims "are to be honored and protected by law in a manner no less vigorous than protections afforded criminal defendants." Utah Code Ann. § 77-37-1 (1999). Accordingly, as an officer of the court, a prosecutor must convey a victim's request to be heard at a change of plea hearing.
134 It is undisputed by the parties to this appeal that M.R.'s mother, acting on [765]*765behalf of MR., informed the prosecutor that M.R. wished to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing. It is also undisputed that the prosecutor did not convey this request to the district court. Consistent with our foregoing analysis, we conclude that the prosecutor failed to satisfy the obligations imposed upon him by the Victims' Rights Act, the Rights of Crime Victims Act, and his position as an officer of the court.
I 35 To begin with, as a representative of a criminal justice ageney, the prosecutor violated M.R.'s rights under the Victims' Rights Act (1) by failing to "assist" him in exercising his right to be heard and (2) by failing to provide him with a "clear explanation" regarding the events transpiring at defendant's change of plea hearing. Utah Code Ann. § 7i-87-3(1)(b)-(c) (1999). The prosecutor violated both of these statutory duties when he implied that he would convey M.R.'s request to be heard to the district court and then failed to do so.
136 Moreover, given that the prosecutor received M.R.'s request to be heard and subsequently made no effort to alert the district court, the prosecutor's conduct violated the Rights of Crime Victims Act. That statute, by requiring direct requests to the court at initial appearances but not requiring such direct requests at plea hearings, implicitly authorized requests to be heard at plea hearings to be delivered to prosecutors.
T37 Lastly, the prosecutor breached his duty as an officer of the court because he failed to bring relevant information to the court's attention. See Clingman, 23 P.3d at 29. Fully aware of M.R.'s desire to speak at defendant's change of plea hearing, the prosecutor did not inform the court that M.R. had invoked his constitutional and statutory right to be heard. We therefore conclude that M.R. properly submitted his request to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing to the prosecutor.11
VI. THE DISTRICT COURT REMEDIED THE VIOLATION OF M.R'S RIGHT TO BE HEARD
138 Based on the prosecutor's failure to relay M.R.'s request to be heard, the district court initially deprived MR. of his right to speak at the change of plea hearing. At defendant's sentencing hearing, however, the court learned of M.R.'s earlier desire to be heard. The court then permitted MR. and his mother to take the stand and testify regarding the appropriateness of defendant's plea bargain. The court also permitted extensive argument by M.R.'s counsel. Restricted in no respect by the court, all three individuals claimed that the plea bargain should have been rejected. After hearing this testimony and argument, the court "informally" reopened defendant's change of plea hearing and accepted the testimony that it had just heard from MR. and his mother. The court then reaffirmed defendant's plea at the Class A level."12
139 By taking these steps, the district court remedied its initial denial of M.R.'s right to be heard. Our conclusion is based on the following rationale First, we note that the plea was subject to review up until the time of sentencing. See Ostler, 2001 UT 68 at ¶10, 31 P.3d 528 (noting that "it makes no sense to deprive the district court of the power to review a plea before it enters a judgment of conviction and sentence."). Accordingly, in exercising its power to reopen [766]*766the plea, the court permitted MR. to be heard at a time when he could have persuaded the court to reject the proposed ples. Second, the record clearly demonstrates that the court reaffirmed the plea only after having accepted M.R.'s and his mother's testimony, and permitting argument by his counsel.13
140 Thus, although MR. was entitled to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing, we conclude that he has enjoyed the fruits of the right he now claims he was denied. Accordingly, we hold that the district court, to its credit, cured the error initially committed at the change of plea hearing and honored M.R.'s right to be heard as soon as it discovered M.R. wished to be heard.14
CONCLUSION
141 We conclude that M.R. (1) had the right to appeal the district court's rulings related to his right to be heard, (2) had the right to be heard upon request at defendant's change of plea hearing, and (8) properly invoked his right to be heard by informing the prosecutor he wished to speak. We further conclude that, although the prosecutor failed to convey M.R.'s request to the court and this failure initially deprived MR. of his right to be heard at defendant's change of plea hearing, the court subsequently remedied the error. The court did so by reopening the plea hearing, accepting unrestricted testimony and argument, and reaffirming the plea. We therefore affirm the decision below.
1142 Chief Justice HOWE, Associate Chief Justice RUSSON, and Justice DURHAM concur in Justice DURRANT's opinion.