Bruce made waves in 2022 when Brittany Higgins accused him of sexual assault. He asked superintendent Moller to make sure the USB was examined to verify claims made by Mr Lehrmann's lawyers at the time they had not accessed the information. On October 26, it was announced that the jury in the well-known case against Lermanwho was accused of raping Brittany Higgins at Parliament Househad been sensationally discharged after twelve days of testimony. "Bruce Lehrmann, the alleged parliament house rapist, was an official at the Australian National University (ANU) NCMUN annual conference in 2016 which was the year before new sexual assault and sexual harassment policies were introduced in 2017 for the NCMUN conference that seems to be related to what happened at the 2016 conference." Charlotte Karp For Daily Mail Australia Experts say it is very rare for plaintiffs not to give evidence in defamation proceedings, because they need to show that they suffered hurt and harm from the defamatory content. Bruce Lehrmann did not check on Brittany Higgins before he left Parliament House on the night she alleges he raped her, a jury has been told. Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold announced the re-trial of Bruce Lehrmann will not go ahead.Credit:Rhett Wyman. the lovebirds in happier times Meanwhile there are certain outlets who are openly naming the alleged rapist of Brittany, saying it is former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann, who has deleted all his social media and is said to be holed up in a psychiatric "hospital". The limitation period that applies for this particular claim requires the plaintiff to prove that it was not unreasonable for them not to have commenced within the one-year limitation period. The sexual assault case against former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been dropped. This imbalance would have weighed, once again, heavily on Ms Higgins mind. Now, a lot of people want to know Bruces girlfriends identity. He is almost certain to have to give evidence in the defamation proceedings on this point, opening himself up to cross-examination by the publishers lawyers. 'DCPO stated ''if it was my choice I wouldn't proceed. The lawyers that received the information were later replaced by barrister Steve Whybrow - who did not receive the documents. Jesse Hyland His sister has since moved to the US, but sources say she supports him from afar. One element he must prove is that he was identified in the relevant publications. Bruce Emery Lehrmann was born in June 1995 in College Station, Texas, a small city of 120,000 an hour and a half drive from Houston. That new defence commenced in July 2021, just months after the Channel 10 and News Corp publications. Bruce Lehrmann's jury has been dismissed after a juror conducted their own research on the case, rendering a mistrial. She has indicated she will rely on the defence of justification. Her legal team, headed by the Sydney defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, say they sought particulars of identification from Lehrmann and those particulars have not been sufficiently supplied. The ACT prosecution policy (which is not unlike all such policies around the country) makes it very clear (in this case, section 2.9) that a prosecution should not proceed if there is potential harm to anyone, and, in this case specifically, a key witness. On Friday, prosecutors and Lehrmann's lawyer decided to skip the prison trial to expedite the process towards the ACT Supreme Court trial. Higgins friend Emma Webster released a statement after Drumgolds announcement, which said: Brittany is in hospital getting the treatment and support she needs. Key points: Former Queensland solicitor-general Walter Sofronoff, who is heading up the inquiry, has already issued two suppression orders on material subpoenaed from police and the Victims of Crime Commissioner. Qualified privilege can be a tricky defence to get up on that is why the media argued hard to get a new public interest defence in the most recent iteration of defamation law reform, Douglas said. Wilkinson and Network Ten are being sued over Wilkinsons interview with Higgins on The Project, which aired on 15 February 2021. Former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann is charged with sexually assaulting Brittany Higgins in the office of a government minister in March 2019. Australian advisor Bruce Lehrmann was born around 1980-90. The federal court has previously ruled that defendants in defamation proceedings have the power to call plaintiffs to cross-examine them about their reasons for not meeting the limitation period. Hi, Bruce is talking, he told Judge Robert Cook. Bruce Lehrmann (age 27) was born in a small American hamlet called College Station in June 1995, according to Crikey. On its website, the inquiry has invited submissions, with a deadline of April 11. He pleaded not guilty and endured an almost four-week trial in the ACT Supreme Court in October. Mr Lehrmann, 27, has pleaded not guilty and. Mr Lehrmann, 27, was accused of sexually assaulting former colleague Brittany Higgins, 28, inside Parliament House in March 2019 - an allegation he continuously denied. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Bruce frequently appeared with a woman at court proceedings; according to sources, the womans name is Alexandra. It can now be revealed that Lehrmann was accused of sexually harassing or assaulting other women in articles that have since been deleted, after a suppression order was lifted on Friday afternoon. An emotional Brittany Higgins spoke out about the tragedy after the trial was dismissed. ACT Chief Minister . A mistrial was declared after it was discovered that one of the jurors had brought outside reading materials into the jury room. Regardless of whether he appears on 16 March, it is highly likely Lehrmann would give evidence later if the matter reaches trial. Mr Lehrmann was previously earning up to $200,000 a year as a senior adviser for the Liberal party before he was terminated in 2021. and In particular, affidavits read and documents tendered in the proceeding (with appropriate redactions) may be placed onto the Online File. Press Esc to cancel. 'I said: ''That's disappointing given I think there is insufficient evidence''.'. Where do we go from here? Rolph says the nature and seriousness of the allegation in this case, a criminal allegation of rape can influence the arguments around whether the burden of proof has been satisfied, in line with what is known as the Briginshaw standard. He only entered politics a short time ago. Alex Blair. Please try again. A photo uploaded to Facebook in March last year - seven months before the trial - showed Mr Lehrmann smiling with a group of his peers, having just finished picking a batch of pinot sparkling. A source close to Bruce Lehrmann has confirmed he will appear at a preliminary hearing in his defamation case against Lisa Wilkinson expected this month. Bruce Lehrmann has lodged defamation proceedings in the Federal Court. Abandoning the trial of Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins is an appalling and unfair outcome for all involved - the justice system included. Lehrmann has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to raping Higgins in the office of their then-boss, Liberal minister Linda Reynolds, in Parliament House in the early hours of March 23, 2019, after a night out drinking with colleagues. I did my graduation from Manipal University Jaipur in Journalism and mass communication. Read more about the rise and rise and then fall of Bruce . Higgins remained in hospital on Friday after ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC said he was left with no choice but to axe a retrial of Lehrmann because of an unacceptable risk to the life of Higgins, who he said had faced unrelenting attacks with bravery, grace and dignity. 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Ms Higgins medical specialists had prepared reports sent to the DPP that indicated a February re-trial would potentially be harmful to her health. In September, the court heard that a teacher was in Queensland. Enter your email address and Crikey will send a Verification Code. Brittany Higgins, his co-worker, claimed that he assaulted her in the Parliament House office of minister Linda Reynolds. The sensational decision on Friday to abandon the trial of a man accused of raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament House three years ago leaves us with two clear lessons and a hope they are heeded. Bruce Lehrmann has gone from working as a highly-paid political staffer to chopping firewood for a friend's dad following the fallout of one of Australia's most high-profile rape trials. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Lehrmann is also suing News Corp and journalist Samantha Maiden, who first broke the story about Higginss allegations. An independent inquiry into the now-abandoned prosecution of former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann, over the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins, has called for submissions from journalists, lawyers, police and members of the public, with plans for both public and private hearings. Who will give evidence? Bruce Lehrmann, 26, pleaded not guilty in Parliament on March 23, 2019, to having s*x without consent. Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann wrote to Liberal frontbencher Linda Reynolds admitting he was "feeling embarrassed, ashamed and deeply remorseful" after she discovered his late night . An independent inquiry into the now-abandoned prosecution of former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann, over the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins, has called for submissions from journalists, lawyers, police and members of the public, with plans for both public and private hearings. Now, a lot of people want to know Bruces girlfriends identity. Lehrmanns legal team had argued that these allegations, as well as other media attention, meant that Lehrmann was not able to receive a fair trial. Per Tahlia Roy on Twitter, "Chief Justice Lucy McCallum grants Bruce Lehrmann bail until Feb 20, and set a retrial date of Feb 23. But Wilkinson and Network Tens lawyers have the power to seek leave to call Lehrmann and scrutinise the reasons he has given for the delay. Bruce Lehrmann might have been on trial for allegedly raping Brittany Higgins but we know surprisingly little about him. Emery advanced gradually till he attained the position of Political Advisor. On October 26, it was announced that the jury in the well-known case against Lermanwho was accused of raping Brittany Higgins at Parliament Househad been sensationally discharged after twelve days of testimony. A re-trial was ordered and had been set down for February 20 next year. According to our research, Lehrmanns girlfriend is named Alexandra. It did not do so. My life has been open to public scrutiny and is visible to the law. All Rights Reserved. Prosecutors did not seek a re-trial due to concerns about Higginss mental health. It has also been revealed that police unlawfully gave Ms Higgins' protected evidence to Mr Lehrmann's original defence lawyers on a USB in September 2021 - with the team insisting they did not open the material.