There’s a time for working Sudoku

An Australian judge halted a drug conspiracy trial after some jurors were found to have been working Sudoku puzzles while evidence was being presented.

Sydney District Court Judge Peter Zahra ended the trial for two men facing a possible life sentence for drug conspiracy charges. The trial had been running for 66 days and had cost taxpayers an estimated $950,000.

It had been assumed that the jurors were taking notes. But the judge was alerted after they were observed writing vertically, rather than horizontally. The foreman acknowledged that four or five jurors were playing puzzle games for up to half the time the trial had been in progress.

“It helps me keep my mind busy paying more attention,” the foreman told the judge.