A judge in Manhattan who warned a defendant that he would not emerge from prison until he was “a very old man” if he was convicted at trial forced a plea that must be vacated, an appellate panel ruled yesterday by a 3-1 vote.

Supreme Court Justice Budd G. Goodman (See Profile) warned Joseph Fisher at a pretrial hearing that he would receive “whatever is the maximum sentence allowable by law” if he rejected the plea bargain and was unsuccessful in swaying the jury.