Puzzle-playing jurors sink Australian drugs trial

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

SYDNEY (AFP) — An Australian judge was forced to abandon a three-month drugs trial when jurors admitted they were doing sudoku puzzles to fight off boredom, reports said on Wednesday.

Sydney District Court Judge Peter Zahra aborted proceedings Tuesday after the jury forewoman admitted she and four others had been playing the popular numbers game since the second week of the hearing.

She told the judge the brain-teasers had helped "keep my mind busy" as she listened to testimony from the 105 witnesses at the trial, which has cost more than one million dollars (945,000 US) so far.

"Some of the evidence is rather drawn out and I find it difficult to maintain my attention the whole time and that (the puzzle) doesn't distract me too much from proceedings," she...