The trial for the person accused of raping Brittany Higgins has been set for October after a controversial Logies speech brought on the listening to to be postponed.
Bruce Lehrmann was on account of stand trial on June 27 for a cost of sexual activity with out consent, nevertheless a short lived keep was granted on Tuesday after feedback by TV host Lisa Wilkinson reignited publicity surrounding the case.
Defence barrister Steve Whybrow pushed for the trial to start at first of 2023, telling the ACT Supreme Courtroom the fallout from Wilkinson’s Logies speech would nonetheless influence a jury in October.
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However Chief Justice Lucy McCallum stated a three-month keep within the case would enable for any considerations to be ameliorated.
“A interval of three months is a big interval the place prejudice points fade within the thoughts of potential jurors,” she informed the court docket.
Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold agreed with the revised timeline, saying the 102-day delay was in keeping with different rulings on account of publicity surrounding instances.
He stated he had sought written undertakings from Community Ten and Wilkinson about public commentary on the allegations, they usually gave the impression to be forthcoming.
He has additionally contacted the Australian Radio Community to hunt an identical endeavor.
The chief justice stated injunctions might be sought by the court docket if the media retailers weren’t forthcoming.
Any additional purposes would should be filed by the shut of enterprise on Friday.
5 potential books citing the case have additionally raised considerations about additional publicity.
Mr Drumgold will contact the authors, together with journalists Sam Maiden, Niki Savva and Peter van Onselen, to make sure the books don’t embody commentary concerning the complainant. If that’s the case, publication of the works might be postponed till the trial is held.
Discussions round office tradition at Parliament Home may additionally be problematic, Chief Justice McCallum stated.
“If the difficulty is the therapy of an allegation, it is vitally tough to have that debate with out commenting on inappropriate therapy on the assumed premise the allegation is true,” she stated.
“It might be a fairly skinny ebook in the event you took out every thing that’s sub judice, that’s, every thing that’s earlier than this court docket.”
An injunction on publications could also be sought within the occasion the authors don’t cooperate with prosecutors.
The defence pushed for the trial to be listed as working for six weeks, however Chief Justice McCallum stated solely 4 weeks can be wanted.
“I’ve carried out complicated homicide trials in lower than that,” she stated.
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