Lawyer's trousers catch fire in court during arson case

The trousers of a Miami defence lawyer who was representing a client in an arson case burst into flames as he was about to address jurors.

Stephen Gutierrez had been fiddling in his pocket as he was about to make his closing argument on Wednesday, reports the Miami Herald.

Members of the public in the court room were stunned when he rushed out. After officials ushered jurors from the room, Gutierrez returned with a singed pocket and insisted it wasn't a staged performance.

"It was surreal ," one witness said.

The lawyer blamed a faulty battery in an e-cigarette, the Miami Herald reported.

Gutierrez was representing Claudy Charles, 48, who was accused of intentionally setting his car on fire in Miami.

He had just started his closing arguments when the fire broke out. Jurors convicted Charles anyway of second-degree arson.

The judge sitting during the trial could decide to hold Gutierrez in contempt of court.

Questions over the safety of e-cigarettes have been raised after numerous incidents of the devices catching fire.