Judge who demands punctuality often late

TORONTO, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- A Canadian judge with zero tolerance for lateness in his Toronto-area court has a poor record of returning to the bench on time, the Toronto Star reported.

Last month, Justice Howard Chisvin of the Ontario Court in Newmarket threw out 12 criminal cases when a Crown prosecutor was late in returning to court.

Among the cases dismissed were people who had pleaded guilty and were awaiting sentencing, the Star said.

Since that incident, prosecutors and defense attorneys have been lining up outside his courtroom doors before they open.

However, a Star reporter took a stopwatch to Chisvin's courtroom this week and discovered the judge has a poor record of punctuality.

The newspaper said the judge was late returning from every break, from a few seconds to as long as 19 minutes, 22 seconds.

After that lengthiest absence, he apologized to everyone who had been on time and cited a number of reasons he was running late, the newspaper said.