Judge blasts juror after trial halted

An angry judge yesterday accused a juror of causing 'trouble' and 'wasting tax-payers' money'.

Mr Justice Michael Wong was annoyed to discover an attempted murder trial in the High Court would have to be aborted because a member of the jury was going on holiday.

'You should have told me sooner,' the judge told the woman.

'Now we will have to start again. It's a lot of trouble for everyone.' But counsel Michael Poll pointed out that the judge himself had failed to warn the jurors not to commit themselves if they had unbreakable engagements on the horizon.

Mr Justice Wong said the woman should nevertheless have known to alert him to her dilemma before the case began.

'Perhaps she was in awe of your lordship,' Mr Poll said.