Nigeria, March 23 -- "Minor judges have been known to abuse the contempt of court jurisdiction in an attempt to enhance their own dignity." - David Pannick QC, Judges, 119 (1987)

Sardar Tejendrasingh lived in England but, by his own admission, was devoid of "respect for this country or its civilization or its courts." In 1982, as plaintiff in a case for debt recovery at the Cambridge County Court, he chose to address the court sitting down. The court registrar, who took the view that this was contempt of the court, decided in August 1982 to pause proceedings in Mr Tejendrasingh's case until he was purged of this contempt. One year later, in September 1983, Alan Garfitt, the trial judge, informed Mr Tejendrasingh of the court's decision t...