I think that the reason for the delays (as was reported at the time) is the time windows available to the 3 'judges' the advocates and Prof Noakes himself, when the original dates were set aside, Prof Noakes informed the HSPC that the case was complex and would take far longer than the time allocated. The Prof's team are working 'pro bono' (is that the right phrase, for free) but the advocate on the prosecuting side is being paid by the HSPC. The case must have cost hundreds of thousands, maybe more.
Yes, I completely agree, the delays were not instigated by Prof Noakes, but maybe they didn't expect Prof Noakes to present such a rigorous defence, and the prosecution side objected to his defence. How can you expect to accuse a man of not practicing evidence based medicine and then deny him the opportunity to present the evidence.
Anyway, it has given the world a valuable asset, a complete 101 to the science of nutrition, (or it will have when the videos of Prof Noakes evidence are released) and a detailed explanation of how advice since the 70s got it so wrong and has led us to where we are today.
Let's just hope that all that stress has not taken a toll on Prof Noakes' health!