Bruce Lehrmann avoids conviction after pleading guilty to Tasmania driving offence
Bruce Lehrmann's guilty plea to unauthorised use of a vehicle has resulted in a minor penalty, while he claims there’s ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ in his separate high-profile defamation battle.
Former Liberal Party staffer, Bruce Lehrmann, has walked free from a Hobart courtroom after pleading guilty to one count of driving a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent.
Mr Lehrmann, 30, had previously entered a plea of not guilty to the charge which arose from an incident in the Huon Valley last year when he commandeered a Toyota Prado from the neighbour of a friend in Mountain River.
Appearing before Magistrate Robert Webster on Thursday, Mr Lehrmann received a sentence indication from His Honour of a 12-month good behaviour undertaking, $100 in court costs, and no conviction recorded, should he decide to plead guilty.
.
His Honour asked Mr Lehrmann whether he understood the terms of the sentence, and if he was prepared to change his plea.
“If you are, that will be the end of the matter,” Magistrate Webster said.
Mr Lehrmann responded: “I am, thank you Your Honour, and I am very grateful.”
Police prosecutors told the court the former ministerial adviser had been sleeping over at a friend’s house following a party last November, when he woke up in the middle of the night with a desire to visit the nearby Mood Food.
After discovering a 4WD parked nearby had keys in the ignition, Mr Lehrmann drove the vehicle to the Huonville service station, where he purchased a drink and diesel.
Prosecutors said when the friend discovered Mr Lehrmann was no longer at home, she messaged him as to his whereabouts, and he responded he was in a car that he assumed belonged to her.
The court heard that the vehicle actually belonged to the friend’s next door-neighbour, who had never met Mr Lehrmann, and who had not given permission for anyone to drive her car.
Prosecutors said although the defendant then returned the vehicle – in undamaged condition and containing extra fuel – he had not attempted to inform the owner about his journey.
Earlier, Ms Burrows made an unsuccessful application for her client to access the CBD court complex via a side door reserved for out-of-hours hearings, to help him avoid a waiting media pack.
Magistrate Webster said he did not have the powers to allow such a request, adding: “Everyone charged with an offence in this state comes through the front door.”
Ms Burrows then raised the possibility of seeking a restraining order to prevent reporters approaching her client as he entered and exited the main Liverpool St entrance, with Magistrate Webster asking media representatives to be respectful of Mr Lehrmann’s personal space.
His Honour concluded proceedings by indicating his intention to lift a publication suppression order he had made earlier in the day, when the defendant’s not guilty plea was still in effect.
While the move was not opposed by prosecutors, Ms Burrows contended that her client’s case was of an “exceptional” nature which required restrictions against media coverage, and claimed journalists had previously misreported aspects of the case.
Hobart lawyer Fabiano Cangelosi, acting for the Mercury, asked Magistrate Webster to discharge his original non-publication order, and argued that any further limits on media would run contrary to principles of open justice.
His Honour ruled in Mr Cangelosi’s favour, saying that with the case finalised, members of the press were free to report on all aspects of proceedings.
Outside court, Mr Lehrmann spoke briefly to reporters, saying he hoped “everyone getting out of bed tomorrow gets the help they need, and keeps fighting”.
Originally published as Bruce Lehrmann avoids conviction after pleading guilty to Tasmania driving offence
