Innocent by way of... Sudoku!

From CNN.com:

Sudoku-playing jurors halt $950,000 trial

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- An Australian judge has aborted a drug trial after discovering that some of the jurors were playing the puzzle game Sudoku while evidence was being given.

The $950,000 drugs trial was aborted after the judge discovered that jurors had been playing Sudoku.

Sydney District Court Judge Peter Zahra ended the trial Tuesday for two men facing drugs conspiracy charges. The trial had been running for 66 days and had cost taxpayers an estimated US $950,000.

The judge was alerted after it was observed the jurors were writing vertically, rather than horizontally. It had been assumed they were taking notes.

The jury foreperson admitted to the judge that four to five jurors were playing puzzle games for up to half the time the trial had been going.

A new trial is expected to begin in a few weeks.