'Judge Nod' retires amid claims he dozed during trials

Australian 'Judge Nod' retires amid claims he dozed during trials

CNEWS
August 4, 2005
By ROD MCGUIRK

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - A judge accused of nodding off during trials has retired on medical grounds, a government minister said Friday.

Judge Ian Dodd, 57 - dubbed Judge Nod by jurors - has retired five months after a newspaper reported he had dozed off during at least nine cases in the New South Wales state District Court in Sydney. Chief Judge Reg Blanch released a statement in March saying Dodd had been diagnosed with sleep apnea, a condition causing him to slip into sleep during the day.

A rape victim had called for Dodd to be fired because she said he had snored as she testified during the trial of her assailant in November 2003. The rapist was convicted.

He was dubbed Judge Nod when he fell asleep every day of a seven-day trial in December 2003, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

Witnesses have reported that lawyers would cough or drop rulers to subtly wake the judge during hearings.

State Attorney General Bob Debus confirmed that Dodd had retired on health grounds after nine years on the bench.

But seven cases during which Dodd is accused of having fallen asleep during vital evidence remain under review.

"It should be noted however that so far it has not been found that there was an injustice in any particular case," Debus told reporters.

Dodd had his driver's licence suspended in June amid fears that he could fall asleep at the wheel.

Dodd is entitled to a pension amounting to 60 per cent of his annual salary of about $195,000 US. That equates to $117,566 for life.

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