An Australian judge ruled that a conservative political staffer likely committed rape in parliament, a dramatic twist in a case that provoked protests across the country.
The Federal Court’s Mr Justice Lee made his finding on the balance of probabilities, as required in civil cases.
In a criminal case, a conviction must be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
“Mr Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins.
Mr Lehrmann has stridently maintained his innocence and has not been convicted of any criminal offence.
A criminal case against him on a charge of sexual intercourse without consent collapsed in October 2022.
In her interview with Network 10, Ms Higgins did not name Mr Lehrmann, but he claimed he was identifiable.
‘Mistake of coming back for his hat’ “Having escaped the lion’s den Mr Lehrmann made the mistake of coming back for his hat,” Mr Justice Lee said.
An Australian judge made a shocking decision in a case that sparked nationwide protests, ruling that a conservative political staffer had probably committed rape in parliament.
After Network 10 broadcast an interview with Bruce Lehrmann’s purported victim, Brittany Higgins, the judge dismissed Lehrmann’s defamation lawsuit against the network.
As is necessary in civil cases, Mr. Justice Lee of the Federal Court based his decision on the balance of probabilities. A conviction in a criminal case has to be established beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mr. Lehrmann sexually assaulted Ms. Higgins. The judge hurried to emphasize that this was a conclusion based on the weight of the evidence.
Mr. Justice Lee stated, “Mr. Lehrmann has not been found guilty of any crime, but he has now been found to have engaged in a great wrong by the civil standard of proof.”.
After a night of heavy drinking in March 2019, Ms. Higgins has claimed that Mr. Lehrmann sexually assaulted her on a couch inside the national parliamentary office of a government minister.
Mr. Lehrmann has adamantly asserted his innocence and has not been found guilty of any crimes.
In October 2022, a criminal case against him regarding an alleged incident of having sex without consent was dropped.
The strict rules of the trial forbade the jury member from having an academic paper on sexual assault, which the courtroom sheriff found the member of the jury carrying.
Fearing that Ms. Higgins’s mental health might suffer significantly from the public scrutiny, the prosecutors decided against retrying the criminal case.
Mr. Lehrmann asked to remain anonymous during her interview with Network 10, but Ms. Higgins did not provide his name.
However, the defamation case was dismissed by the judge because she concluded that the accusations were probably true.
“I should have remembered to get his hat.”.
Mr. Justice Lee stated, “Mr. Lehrmann made the mistake of coming back for his hat after escaping the lion’s den.”.
Following the global MeToo movement, the allegations were first made public in early 2021. This led to widespread demonstrations and several critical investigations into Australia’s political culture.
