High-profile Australian rape case abruptly ends in mistrial

A high-profile rape case that ignited nationwide protests across Australia abruptly ended Thursday in a mistrial, the latest twist in a courtroom saga involving some of the country's most senior politicians.

Brittany Higgins, 27, alleged that former conservative staffer Bruce Lehrmann, 27, raped her on a couch inside the parliamentary office of a government minister following a night of heavy drinking in March 2019.

Lehrmann denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual intercourse without consent.

The jury -- comprising eight women and four men -- had been deliberating for five days when Chief Justice Lucy McCallum discharged them and declared a mistrial on a technicality.

McCallum said court sheriffs found prohibited material -- namely, an academic paper on sexual assault -- inside the document folder of a jury member.

"Sometimes there's a mishap which results in the miscarriage of a trial, which has happened here," McCallum said.

A new trial was scheduled to begin in February.

The allegations came to light in early 2021 and -- fueled by intense publicity and the global #MeToo movement -- sparked a furious public backlash in Australia.

Shortly after they were aired, some 100,000 people marched in demonstrations held across the country against sexual violence.

Five separate investigations followed, collectively delivering a scathing indictment on the frequently sexist nature of Australian politics.

Justice McCallum had described the case, heard in Australia's capital Canberra, as a "cause celebre" and had warned the jury to ignore the blizzard of publicity.

Lehrmann's lawyers unsuccessfully tried to postpone the trial after former conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologized to Higgins during a sitting of parliament.

The lawyers said the apology could jeopardize Lehrmann's right to a fair trial.

Two cabinet ministers in Australia's former conservative government were called as witnesses.

They were asked whether political considerations had played a part in keeping the allegations out of the public eye.

Senator Linda Reynolds -- Higgins's boss at the time of the alleged rape -- denied coaching defense lawyers during cross examination.

Prosecutors had questioned whether Reynolds was trying to help the defense team because the allegations were politically embarrassing.

Senator Michaelia Cash -- a former Attorney General -- told the court it would have been "political suicide" to cover up the case.

© 2022 AFP