Trial of Brittany Higgins’ accused rapist Bruce Lehrmann postponed
Trial of Bruce Lehrmann – the man accused of raping the political staffer – delayed by three weeks as barrister drops out.
The man accused of raping former political staffer Brittany Higgins in Parliament House has had his trial postponed after his barrister dropped out of the case.
ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum said she was willing to push the date of Bruce Lehrmann’s trial back by three weeks, after his lawyers needed more time to prepare his defence.
Justice McCallum agreed for the trial not to occur before June 20, however the exact date has not yet been set due to scheduling issues.
On Tuesday, Mr Lehrmann’s Legal Aid lawyers told the ACT Supreme Court they were having difficulty finding new legal counsel to represent the former Liberal staffer. His Sydney-based barrister John Korn was no longer able to act for him in the matter.
Mr Lehrmann has been committed to stand trial in the ACT Supreme Court for allegedly raping the then Liberal staffer Ms Higgins in the office of senator Linda Reynolds in Parliament House in March 2019.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent. His trial before a jury was due to run for six weeks from June 6.
Justice McCallum said the court was now “in position” to push back the start date of the trial however was not able to confirm an exact date due to scheduling issues in the court and with other matters.
“I indicated on the last occasion that first the evidence in support was not sufficient to consider postponing but the court would be in position to push back the start date of the trial by up to 3 weeks,” Justice McCallum said.
Justice McCallum said she was “very reluctant” to push back the trial any further than June 20th for this reason.
Legal Aid solicitor Tamzin Lee will no longer be acting as Mr Lehrmann’s solicitor, after she sought leave from the case on Thursday.
Ms Lee has been replaced by solicitor Kamy Saeedi.
The matter will be heard next Wednesday June 8 to set the start date of the trial.
Shorten: ‘We will ensure our campus is safe for everybody’
In his first speech as vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra, long-serving government minister Bill Shorten says ‘intolerance is not inevitable’.
China blames Australia for fighter jet’s flare drop
China accused the RAAF P-8A Poseidon of ‘deliberately intruding into China’s airspace’ while Australia lodged an official protest over the incident that risked the lives of up to a dozen Australians.