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Politics
Rachael Burgin, Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Swinburne University of Technology

Lehrmann trial discontinued: when prosecution isn't in the public interest

Brittany Higgins Bruce Lehrmann DPP Shane Drumgold Lisa Wilkinson Parliament House

ACT Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shane Drumgold today announced that the charges against Bruce Lehrmann, the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019, have been withdrawn.

An earlier jury had been dismissed resulting in a mistrial, after an academic research paper relating to sexual assault was found in the jury room. Jurors are forbidden from doing their own research, as each case must be decided only on the evidence presented in court. A retrial had been ordered by the court to begin in February.

Decisions to prosecute

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