The trial of a former political adviser accused of raping a colleague inside Australia's Parliament House has been abandoned because of juror misconduct.
Bruce Lehrmann, who is 27, was accused of raping his colleague, Brittany Higgins, in a minister’s office at Parliament House after a night out drinking in the Australian capital in March 2019.
He had pleaded not guilty and insisted that there was no sexual contact between the two.
The trial in Canberra ran for 12 days. Twenty-nine witnesses gave evidence, including former government ministers Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash.
However, the trial has been aborted by Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucy McCallum because at least one juror had a research paper on sexual assaults that was not included in the trial.
Jurors were repeatedly warned not to research the case outside the parameters of what was presented during the trial.
Speaking to reporters outside the court, Higgins insisted that she had been let down by the justice system.
“This is the reality of how complainants in sexual assault cases are treated. Their lives are torn apart, their friends and families are called to the witness stand and the accused has the legal right to say absolutely nothing,” she said.
Defense lawyers have argued Higgins’ comments outside court could prejudice any retrial and said they had referred her remarks to police and the court for investigation. However, there is no confirmation from the police or the court at this stage.
The jury had deliberated for several days without coming to a decision. Australian Capital Territory law requires a jury to reach a unanimous verdict for findings of guilty or not guilty.
Higgins’ allegations prompted protests across Australia over the safety of women, especially in politics.
Demonstrators rallied in cities and towns to vent their anger about sexism, and misogyny. It also led to a damning review which found that a third of employees in the Federal Parliament had been sexually harassed.
The prosecution and defense teams are yet to make arguments about whether Lehrmann should be retried.
