Judge Michael Thorpe said song-writing has “helped me think about these folks and deal with them a little differently”.

The 67-year-old presides over cases in a magistrates’ court in Gwinnett County in the US state of Georgia.

He learned to play guitar just over a year ago and is already planning “six or seven new songs” following his CD release, WSB-TV reports.

The judge also admitted that he regularly notes down lyric ideas during court proceedings.