In my time dealing with CC judges – I do think that arthritis issues as well as leaving early on a Friday to play golf might come into play. (Far too many dream of being makers of case law.) The judiciary got steadily worse during my decade.
TBH though, I have only been involved in civil matters a few times but the judges therein didn’t seem all that different to the CC types.
I’d personally wager that the guy who makes the worse impression will lose.
I was once in Sheffield CC and watched a 100% innocent trio made to pay monies they did not owe to a certain body as reparations for the illegal acts of a criminal working for that aforementioned body – by then dead.
I was talking to the trio 30 seconds after the judge had told them that if they chose to fight these huge financial payments and happened to be found guilty – he would jail them for 5 years each!
Judges know how to put pressure on folks to make them bow to their desires. Incidentally, when they all agreed to plead guilty + pay huge amounts they never owed as required – the judge had an early trip home.
