Court Rep: Judge Seen Playing Computer Solitaire During Mass Murder Trial Still Listens Closely
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One of five judges hearing a high-profile case against an accused mass murderer in Norway caught by a news photographer playing computer solitaire during trial on Monday.
Ernst Henning Eielsen playing the virtual card game for up to 16 minutes as a witness was testifying, reports the Mirror, relying on Norwegian newspaper coverage. The article includes photos of the judge, his computer screen and the wider courtroom scene at the time..
A court spokeswoman didn’t deny that Eielsen was playing computer solitaire during the trial of Anders Behring Breivik, who is accused of slaying 77 people during a killing spree last July.
However, she indicated to a French news agency that he still listens closely, according to the New York Daily News.
“The judges are attentively following what is being said and what is being presented to the court,” Irene Ramm told Agence France-Presse. “There are different ways of staying focused.”
Brevik has admitted detonating a car bomb that killed eight and slaying another 69 people in a shooting rampage at a youth camp, but denies criminal responsibility for the attacks which he contends the victims brought upon themselves, the Mirror reports.
