Los Angeles - A judge in Los Angeles ordered that an over-talkative defendant be given a 50,000-volt jolt of electricity, it was reported yesterday. The Los Angeles Times said it was the first activation ever in Los Angeles of a prisoner's electronic security "REACT" belt. Mr Ronald Hawkins, defending himself at a sentencing hearing, continually interrupted municipal Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani and so she ordered the bailiff to use his remote control to administer an eight-second electric shock, the paper said.
People in the courtroom said Hawkins grimaced and stiffened. He was wearing the security belt because he had acted violently while in jail on two previous occasions. The judge was unavailable for comment.