Prisoner in the car, I hereby sentence you ...

A JUDGE sentenced a man over the phone when the offender became stuck in a traffic jam on his way to court, it emerged yesterday.

Aftab Ahmed, 44, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was due to appear at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for an offence relating to his bankruptcy, but miles of tailbacks resulting from a crash on the A14 prevented him from arriving on time.

He phoned his lawyer, Kevin McCarthy, to explain the reason for his delay, and when this was passed to Judge Caroline Ludlow, she said she was considering sentencing him over the phone.

After hearing mitigation, Judge Ludlow called Ahmed’s mobile phone from a telephone in court and sentenced him to a 140-hour community punishment order. He was also told to pay 750 costs.

The court clerk, Rachel Bonner, said: "It’s very unusual. I’ve never heard of it before."

Ahmed had admitted failing to explain the loss of 22,500 between the presentation of his bankruptcy petition in 2002 and the start of his bankruptcy in 2003.