Bruce Lehrmann trial: jury sent home for weekend after not yet reaching unanimous verdict
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Version 0 of 1. ACT supreme court chief justice urges jurors to avoid discussing case with others ahead of continued deliberations next week The jury in the Bruce Lehrmann trial will continue its deliberations on Monday, after spending another full day considering the case without reaching unanimous verdict. The ACT supreme court chief justice, Lucy McCallum, sent the jury home again about 4pm Friday, urging them to avoid discussing the case with others. She also urged them to have a “holiday” away from social media. “You might enjoy it more than you anticipate,” she said. The jury will resume its deliberations at 10am Monday. Deliberations first began on Wednesday afternoon. Lehrmann is accused of raping fellow political staffer Brittany Higgins in the office of their boss, then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds, in the early hours of 23 March 2019. The alleged rape occurred on a couch directly opposite Reynolds’ desk. Lehrmann denies the allegation and has pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual intercourse without consent at trial. The prosecution, led by Shane Drumgold SC, has told the jury Higgins was a credible, honest, and reliable complainant, who has been consistent in her description of the alleged rape while disclosing it to friends, colleagues, and family. Drumgold has alleged Lehrmann gave multiple and false reasons for the late night visit to parliament, made after a night of drinking at Canberra bars. He told his superiors he was there to drink whisky, told parliament security he had been instructed to pick up documents, and told police he was there to get his keys and work on some question time briefs. Lehrmann’s counsel Steven Whybrow, meanwhile, has suggested that Higgins fabricated the allegation after being discovered naked in the minister’s office. Whybrow says Higgins feared losing her job and was embarrassed and humiliated. He says there is no other evidence, other than Higgins’ evidence, that independently corroborates her allegation, and has sought to undermine her credibility by pointing to inconsistencies in her account. The matter will return to the ACT supreme court on Monday. |