Telltale signs Brittany Higgins’ new rape trial was NOT going ahead
From the moment Brittany Higgins read her scathing statement out of court after her accused rapist’s trial was scuppered by a rogue juror, it was abundantly clear that the case would not go a second time.
Chief Justice Lucy McCallum dismissed the 12 jurors in Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial on Oct. 27 after it was found that a member had brought banned documents into the jury room at the ACT Supreme Court.
Lehrmann, an ex-Liberal staffer, had pleaded not guilty to the alleged rape of Ms Higgins in former Defense Secretary Linda Reynolds’ office at Canberra’s Parliament House during a drunken night out in March 2019.
After a spectacular end to the three-and-a-half week trial, the case was settled Australia was provisionally moved to February 20.
Ms Higgins had tears in her eyes as she left court that morning, flanked by her boyfriend David Sharaz and her support person, Heidi Yates, holding a emotionally charged speech that was broadcast live on national TV.
The speech was fraught with potentially disparaging remarks about how she believed she was being treated by the justice system and how she chose to tell “the truth” about her alleged rape.
Ms Higgins wept as she read her statement to reporters outside the ACT Supreme Court, saying her life has been “publicly scrutinized, open for the world to see”
“I chose to speak. To speak out against rape, speak out against injustice, speak out and share my experiences with others. I told the truth, no matter how inconvenient or unflattering, to the court,” she told hordes of TV cameras.
“Today’s outcome does not change that truth. When I spoke out, I never fully understood how asymmetrical the criminal justice system is, but now I do.’
Most of what she said could not be published at the time because it could bias a future jury against Lehrmann, making it impossible for him to receive a fair trial.
In addition, in the hours following the emotional speech, Lehrmann’s attorney Steve Whybrow confirmed that he had referred the issue of her statement to federal law enforcement and Chief Justice Lucy McCallum.
“As we left court this morning, I informed the assembled media that given this case was ongoing and a date of February 20, 2023 had been set for a retrial, it would be both inappropriate and irresponsible to proceed at this stage. to comment. ‘ he said.
Brittany Higgins was flanked by her lawyers as she made a statement out of court
Bruce Lehrmann was expressionless as he left the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday after the case was sensationally dropped after a juror brought ‘investigative material’ into the courtroom
In another dramatic twist, ACT prosecutor Shane Drumgold announced Friday morning that a second trial would not take place due to Ms Higgins’ mental health.
“I have made the difficult decision that it is no longer in the public interest to prosecute at the risk of one’s life,” he said.
She is getting the treatment and support she needs. The past few years have been difficult and unforgiving.
“While it is disappointing that the process ended this way, the health and safety of Brittany Higgins should always come first.
“Britagne is extremely grateful for all the support she has received, especially from our mental health staff.”
Immediately following Mr Drumgold’s statement, Mrs Higgins’ girlfriend, Emma Webster, issued a statement saying she had been admitted to a hospital in Queensland.
Mr Dumgold added: ‘When I first examined the evidence I found a clear picture that there was a reasonable prospect of conviction.
“And this is an opinion I still hold.”
Brittany Higgins is seen leaving the ACT Supreme Court, flanked by her boyfriend and lawyers
During the trial, Ms. Higgins was daily reduced to tears as she sat on the stand during cross-examination.
She was questioned and challenged on the night of the alleged incident over questions about her lucrative book deal, the dress she wore that night and whether she was going to a doctor’s appointment.
Ms Higgins revealed that she had a $325,000 book deal arranged for her in March 2021 by TV personality Lisa Wilkinson’s husband, Peter FitzSimons, which would shed light on her experience.
Ms Higgins agreed with Mr Whybrow that she began sketching the chapters for the book before making a formal statement to police.
She later admitted to the jury that she was “plainly wrong” when she said she kept the dress in which she was allegedly raped under her bed for six months – “untouched and unclean.”
Ms Higgins was confronted with a photo of her wearing the white cocktail number to a birthday party some two months after the alleged incident.
She also exploded in court when Mr. Whybrow told her she made up doctor’s appointments to bolster her story.
Bruce Lehrmann arrives at the ACT Supreme Court in Canberra on Thursday, October 27 – before the case was dropped
Mrs. Higgins replied loudly, ‘What you say is very offensive.
“You are so wrong.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced trauma before… it’s confronting, it’s very hard to do. I was bedridden, I did my best. I completely reject everything you say.’
The trial was originally expected to last between four and six weeks, but after a long list of witnesses was cleared to testify, the proceedings were significantly reduced to 12 days.
Then, after five days of deliberations, the revelation came like a bombshell that the trial would be cut short because of the juror’s ‘misconduct’.
A juror brought banned literature — an academic study on false rape allegations — into court despite being warned 17 times by the judge not to.
