An Australian jury proved to be quite a disappointment for both the judge and the lawyers who have been dealing with a drug trial for the past three months. It turned out that five members of the jury in case were playing Sudoku during the hearing while everybody thought that they were taking notes. As a result, Sydney District Court Judge Peter Zahra was forced to postpone the Tuesday proceedings.

It was actually one of the defendants who realized that some of the members of the jury were playing the famous number-puzzle, as they were writing vertically rather than horizontally. Further on, the jury forewoman admitted that she and four of her mates had been playing Sudoku since the second week of the trial. Moreover, she said that the game helped her keep her mind busy and saved her from boredom.

"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 said. Some 105 witnesses came to the stand in order to testify during the three-month trial which cost one million dollars so far. However, the jury forewoman said that the game helped her clear her mind rather than distracting her.

Both the judge and the lawyers thought that the five Sudoku-players were actually taking notes. BBC News reports that lawyer Robyn Hakelis said "We actually all thought they were quite a diligent jury. The judge had made many comments about what a good jury they were, how they were taking copious amounts of notes."

Besides naming a new panel, no legal action can be taken against the five jury members. The trial is due to begin again within a few weeks, as soon as a new jury will be called. The trial could end up with life sentence for conspiracy to manufacture a commercial quantity of amphetamines for those found guilty.