A JUDGE was told to “shut up” by a man who walked into a court room.

Terence Howarth, aged 22, interrupted Judge Steven Everett as he was passing sentence on a case at Bolton Crown Court.

He went into the court room while the judge was speaking and sat in the wrong place, looking at his mobile phone.

When Judge Everett asked him to leave, Howarth asked if he was joking.

The judge said he did not joke and Howarth replied: “Oh shut up”.

Judge Everett ordered police to keep him in a side room and he was later taken down to the court’s cells and sought legal advice.

Howarth was brought back before Judge Everett later in the day, when he was warned he could face two years in jail for contempt of court.

He said to the judge: “I didn’t appreciate the way you spoke to me. I didn’t know it wasn’t a public gallery. You asked me to leave when I hadn’t done anything wrong. I apologise to you and the court.”

Judge Everett said: “Whether you like it or not, what I ask you to do, you must do. There is no back-chat here and you shouldn’t tell the judge to shut up. I am prepared to accept that in the heat of the moment, you said something you didn’t mean.”

Howarth was allowed to leave the court after the judge