Ah
So you are on the side of allegations not needing to be tested in court before we pay out.
Hey LB, why not stop over to the SV Seeker thread and meet SPatton? He’s a bit of a Bruce Hudson with a slippery side. Thought you’d like a try at him
Good for her. A real achievement when so many of her generation can’t get off the couch.
I will- thanks for the tip. Back in the day we asked BJ if threads with new nutty douchebags could be highlighted in red.
Given that she's had a bit on what with court appearances, interviews, writing books and compo claims I don't think there was much participation in this uni degree.
www.abc.net.au
I've got a dollar that says it will take more than 3 weeks for Lehrman's case reached settlement.Should Meli be checking her mail box?
Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyers send legal letters to Ten, News Corp
The ACT announced an independent inquiry into the handling of the Lehrmann case by both the police and the prosecutor.www.theage.com.au
Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyers send legal letters to Ten, News Corp
Lawyers acting for former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann have sent legal letters to media outlets over their coverage of rape allegations aired by his former colleague Brittany Higgins as he welcomed a public inquiry into authorities’ handling of his abandoned criminal trial.
The ACT government announced the inquiry following reports that the territory’s director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, SC, complained that police tried to pressure him not to prosecute Lehrmann, prompting law enforcement to call for a separate probe.
Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Higgins in the ministerial office of the pair’s former boss, Coalition senator Linda Reynolds, in March 2019. The trial was aborted in October this year due to juror misconduct, and the case against Lehrmann was later dropped due to grave concerns about Higgins’ mental health.
Lehrmann’s lawyer Steven Whybrow issued a statement on Wednesday saying, “Mr Lehrmann welcomes an inquiry and hopes the terms of reference will extend to an examination of all aspects of the matter, including decisions not to prosecute various individuals, and the efforts taken by the DPP to ensure a fair trial.”
Defamation lawyers acting for Lehrmann have also sent legal notices to media outlets, including Ten network and News Corp, over their coverage surrounding Higgins’ allegations. Spokespeople for those organisations declined to comment when contacted.
According to a source close to Lehrmann who was not free to speak on the record, he has also sent a letter of complaint to the ACT Bar Association regarding Drumgold’s conduct of the case. Comment has been sought from the DPP and the association.
Drumgold’s decision earlier this month not to proceed with Lehrmann’s retrial triggered an extraordinary series of exchanges between the public prosecutor and the police union, all highly critical of each other’s professional conduct.
The ACT Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions earlier this month released to The Guardian a letter in which Drumgold complained to ACT police commissioner Neil Gaughan that police engaged in a “very clear campaign to pressure” him not to prosecute Lehrmann.
Gaughan said the force was not consulted before the letter was released, while the police union flagged plans to refer the document’s release to the Office of the Australian Information Commission and the ACT Ombudsman as a possible breach of freedom of information laws.
Announcing the inquiry alongside ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said he was greatly concerned about allegations aired in recent weeks, and the reports raised “issues that may have wider implications for the prosecution of criminal matters here in the territory”.
Rattenbury described Drumgold’s complaint as a “very serious allegation” and said the terms of reference for the inquiry would encompass that issue.
“I hope that this matter does not affect that broader relationship, but that is part of the reason we are establishing this inquiry, to ensure that where those allegations and these fracture points have been aired, there is an independent forum to investigate them and then draw conclusions,” he said.
Rattenbury said a suitable person to head the inquiry would likely be announced next month, along with the terms of reference, so that a report could be handed down by June 30.
After the sudden halt of the first trial, Higgins spoke to media outside of the ACT Supreme Court, describing the justice system as “asymmetrical” and stating that she felt as though she, not Lehrmann, had been the one on trial.
Later that day, Whybrow released a statement saying he had referred Higgins to the police and court.
The role of Victims of Crime Commissioner Heidi Yates - who accompanied Higgins to court and stood by her side while Higgins publicly blasted the justice system - will also be under review, with the inquiry to examine “the support provided by [Yates] to the complainant and how that aligns with the relevant statutory framework”.
Yates told an ACT parliamentary hearing last month a narrow definition of a “victim of crime” would limit support services, “including court support, to a very small proportion of Canberrans affected by crime, and such services would only be available to people at the tail end of the justice process”.
On December 8, the Australian Federal Police Association issued a statement saying it “wants to make it extremely clear that the desperate attempts to smear” the AFP and policing were untested.
The inquiry will consider several elements of the case: the engagement between the prosecutor’s office and police regarding the prospect of charges being laid; the decision to proceed to trial and the decision not to pursue a retrial; the conduct of the police and the prosecutor’s office; the laws for addressing juror misconduct in the ACT; and the assistance given to Higgins during the trial.
Rattenbury said the government had contacted representatives of both Lehrmann and Higgins ahead of the announcement and it would be up to those conducting the inquiry to determine whether either was called to give evidence.
“Clearly we need to take into account the mental wellbeing of Ms Higgins and others involved,” Rattenbury said. “There’s probably no good time to get on with this but it needs to be done, and we want to move forward and resolve it in a timely way,” Rattenbury said.
The Attorney-General said the inquiry wasn’t about revisiting the trial or any evidence within it.
should open a few cans of worms. Did they advise BH to go to the police to make the interview more credible etc...
probably would not be the best move, unless his case against Ten brings up things like BH going to the police to ensure the interview get more credibility and ratings etc.
