Sudoku addicts halt drugs trial

[JonathanBelles]

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian drugs trial lasting more than three months and costing taxpayers over A$1 million ($947,000) has been aborted after a number of jurors were found to have spent up to half the time playing Sudoku puzzles.

Sydney District Court Judge Peter Zahra cancelled the trial of two men on drugs conspiracy charges after the jury foreperson admitted that four to five jurors had been playing the addictive number sequence game, local media reported. The judge was alerted after some of the jurors were observed writing their notes vertically, rather than horizontally. The game involves completing a grid of numbers in the correct sequence.

One juror said the game helped them to pay more attention by keeping their mind busy.

"Some of the evidence is rather drawn out and I find it difficult to maintain my attention the whole time," the juror was quoted saying by the Australian Associated Press.

A new trial is expected to begin in a few weeks once a new jury has been called.

(Reporting by James Thornhill; Editing by Alex Richardson)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080611/od_nm/sudoku_dc

[Squarethecircle]

XD

That would be funny if just a couple did it, but half the jury?

[brunota2003]

Regardless, that is funny. A huge waste of tax money, but still xD

[TexasStooge]

Sad, but funny!!

Kinda reminds me of this Big Lots commercial.

[x-y-no]

I'm sorry, but is there any excuse for a trial to last over three months? Doesn't the court have some obligation to manage things better than that?

If I were on a jury that was going to last more than a couple of weeks, I'd probably do whatever I could to get out of it too. Longest jury trial I was ever on (I've been on three juries) was two and a half days. We convicted the bastard - six counts aggravated rape.