A Texas court of appeals has ordered a new trial for a convicted sex offender after a Fort Worth  judge instructed his bailiff to administer an electric shock to the defendant three separate times with a stun belt for failing to follow courtroom decorum.

Moreover, in a case of first impression the appellate court ruled that stun belts, which deliver a 50,000 volt punch, may not be used by Texas judges to enforce proper courtroom behavior or when a defendant refuses to answer questions.