Judge sentences man by mobile

A defendant stuck in a traffic jam on his way to court could not escape the long arm of the law - the judge phoned him up to sentence him.

As he sat in miles of tailbacks, Aftab Ahmed, 44, was contacted on his mobile phone by his solicitor at the request of Judge Caroline Ludlow, who had explained that she knew of no restrictions against passing a non-custodial sentence this way. Taking the phone, she sentenced him to a 140-hour community punishment order and told him to pay ?750 in costs for offences relating to his bankruptcy proceedings.

Ahmed, 44, who was attempting to get to Ipswich Crown Court when he got stuck on the A14 at Elmswell, Suffolk, is believed to be one of the first people in Britain to be sentenced by phone.

Ipswich Crown Court clerk Rachel Bonner said: "He pulled over and the judge sentenced him. She spoke to him in open court, and repeated everything he said to the court."

The judge had wanted to avoid incurring more court costs by adjourning the case again.