Bruce Lehrmann denies sexually assaulting Brittany Higgins on a minister’s sofa in 2019.
Image source, EPAThe case against a former political adviser accused of raping a colleague inside Australia’s Parliament House has been dropped.
Bruce Lehrmann, 27, denies sexually assaulting Brittany Higgins on a minister’s sofa after a night out in 2019. He maintains no sex took place.
Mr Lehrmann’s trial collapsed in October because of jury misconduct.
The ongoing risk to Ms Higgins’s mental health means a retrial is not in the public interest, prosecutors say.
New medical advice found that a planned retrial for February posed an unacceptable risk to her wellbeing, Australian Capital Territory Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold said on Friday.
Speaking outside court in October after the first trial was aborted, a tearful Ms Higgins had said the trial had taken a toll.
“I told the truth, no matter how uncomfortable or unflattering, to the court,” she said. “My life has been publicly scrutinised, open for the world to see.”
The jury in October’s trial was discharged after 12 days of evidence and five days of deliberation, when it emerged one member had brought in academic research papers looking at false accusations in sexual assault cases.
Juries are required to reach a verdict only on evidence presented in the courtroom.
Before giving her account to police in early 2021, Ms Higgins gave up her right to anonymity and went public with her claims in high-profile newspaper and television interviews.