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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Judge Brian Bruser said he has serious concern over the lack of a defibrillator in Yellowknife's courthouse after a 40-year-old man with a serious heart condition was brought from the hospital to face two criminal charges on Tuesday.

At the beginning of his sentencing, the man's lawyer, Paul Falvo, presented Bruser with a letter written the day of the court date by the man's doctor warning of the condition and the effects stress could have on the man.

"To be blunt about it, some time ago I requested we get a defibrillator in this building," said Bruser after reading the letter.

The man has been in Stanton Territorial Hospital since Oct. 19. While there, he had been serving a previous sentence deferred from July to begin Oct. 1, and he is monitored by an officer at all times in the health care facility.

He appeared in court Tuesday on a mischief charge and breach of probation charge.

He has "a potentially life-threatening illness that needs to be diagnosed more completely," Falvo said at the hearing.

Bruser offered to hold the trial in the hospital or by video conference after learning of the man's condition, but the man said he preferred to face his charges as soon as he could.

Bruser expressed regret that no defibrillator was installed after his previous request.

One is sorely needed "especially in a public building ... where stress can run high for many reasons," he added.

An external defibrillator monitors heart rhythms and can tell if the heart has stopped beating effectively. If required it will then deliver an electric shock to restart the heart. While it's not necessary to be a doctor to use a defibrillator, training is required.

It costs close to $5,000 for a basic machine and up to $12,000 for an advanced monitor/defibrillator, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. To operate it, an individual has to take a course, sometimes offered in conjunction with a CPR course.

"Speaking as a CPR instructor, all public buildings should have a defibrillator," Falvo said.

The city currently has defibrillators installed in all of its public buildings, including the library, the two arenas and the pool.

Bruser committed to being more forceful in his demand for one for the courthouse.

The man, who pleaded guilty, was given a total of 30 days for both charges, to be served after his current sentence is finished.

Both of his crimes occurred five days after he was given probation conditions for the deferred sentence he is currently serving.

The closeness of dates "doesn't spark my enthusiasm," said Bruser.