The second trial of Bruce Lehrmann, the man accused of sexually assaulting Brittany Higgins, is expected to be abandoned and the charges dropped, reportedly because of new evidence concerning the impact on Higgins’ mental health.
He has always maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty at the first trial, which was cut short in October after 12 days of hearing evidence and submissions in the ACT Supreme Court and five days of deliberations, because of juror misconduct. McCallum described it as an “unexpected and unfortunate outcome” to the three-week trial, and said: “It is beyond question that the conduct of the juror is such as to abort the trial. It may be that no harm has been done, but it’s not a risk I can take.”Drumgold’s office released a short statement to the media on Thursday afternoon.
The ACT government is looking at legal changes that could make it easier for witnesses in sexual assault cases to give evidence in the event of a retrial.
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