Chesterfield magistrate suffers coughing fit

A courtroom was brought to a virtual standstill on Wednesday, December 4, after a senior magistrate suffered a coughing fit and was unable to continue.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The chairman of the bench in Court 3 at Chesterfield Magistrates Court suffered the attack at around 10.30am, midway through a hearing - forcing proceedings to be halted.

In her absence the court, which had been hearing a range of matters - including guilty pleas, sentencing and adjourned cases - was able to deal with some matters, including issuing warrants for people who had not turned up for their hearings, and it also heard a few not guilty pleas. But the court did not properly get underway until 12.40pm, when a replacement chair was found.