Content Warning: This article touches on the topic of sexual assault which may be triggering for some readers.
The jury of the high-profile rape trial of Brittany Higgins’ alleged attacker Bruce Lehrmann is deadlocked.
The judge, Chief Justice Lucy McCallum, received a note from the jury at 3pm this afternoon that said they are ‘unable to agree’ on a unanimous verdict.
WATCH NOW: Lisa Wilkinson interviews Brittany Higgins on The Project
Consisting of eight women and four men, the jury have been deliberating for five days in the ACT Supreme Court trying to determine whether Lehrmann was guilty of one count of sexual intercourse without consent.
The jury have been asked to retire again to see if they can decide on a verdict by Justice McCallum.
“I have the power to discharge you but I should only do so if satisfied after examining one or more of you that you are not likely to agree.”
“Experience has shown juries often are able to agree in the end if they are given more time to consider the evidence. ‘I ask you to retire again to see if you can reach a verdict in this trial,” Justice McCallum said.
However, she also reminded jurors of the oath they swore before the trial began and implored them to only hand a verdict down if they genuinely believed it was the right decision.
“You each take in your personal experience and wisdom and you are expected to judge the evidence fairly in that light. You are all equals in the jury room. Calmly weigh up each opinion in the jury room and discuss them.”
On February 15, 2021, in two separate interviews with news.com.au and Lisa Wilkinson on The Project, Higgins claimed that on March 23, 2019 she was raped inside Parliament House.
On August 7, 2021, Lehrmann – a former Liberal Party staffer – was publicly named as the alleged offender.
Higgins alleges she woke to find Lehrmann having sex with her on a couch in Senator Linda Reynolds’ office.
The trial for the alleged rape began on October 4, 2022 and Lehrmann, who says he never had sex with Higgins, entered a not guilty plea.
The 12 jurors were presented with eleven days worth of evidence, cross-examinations and 29 witness testimonies before they retired last week to consider the verdict.
Considering the jury is struggling to reach a verdict, one of a few things could now happen. Either the jury will come back after further deliberation and reach a unanimous verdict.
Or the jury will be dismissed and a re-trial will occur. Potentially, the charge could be dismissed altogether but that’s unlikely considering how high-profile this specific case has been.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit their website.
This article originally appeared on our sister site, WHO.
