Sydney - A million-dollar drug trial in Australia was aborted Tuesday after several jurors in a Sydney courtroom were spotted playing the puzzle game sudoku rather than listening to evidence. The trial was in its 66th day and now a new jury will have to be empanelled and a new trial begun at a cost of more than 1 million Australian dollars (940,000 US dollars).
"I noticed they were writing in all different directions and straight away I thought 'they are not taking notes like we thought they were,'" lawyer for the defence Robyn Hakelis told Australia's AAP news agency.
She alerted the judge, who declared a mistrial. The defendants face possible life sentences on drug-trafficking charges.
