Bruce Lehrmann Brittany Higgins

Lehrmann is accused of raping Brittany Higgins on a couch in the office of then defence industry minister, an allegation he denies.

About 4pm Thursday, the chief justice Lucy McCallum sent them home and asked them to return on Friday morning. Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual intercourse without consent. Lehrmann is accused of raping Brittany Higgins on a couch in the office of then defence industry minister, Linda Reynolds, on 23 March 2019, an allegation he denies.

The judge presiding over the Parliament House rape trial has reminded jurors she is "here to help" after their first full day of deliberations ended without ...

These days, I cover the ACT and Queanbeyan courts. After stints in New Zealand, the UK and the Canary Islands, I returned to Australia in 2018. As a journalist, I've covered everything from a royal tour and a terror attack to international sport.

The trial of Bruce Lehrmann has seen Britanny Higgins undergo rigorous cross-examination and raises questions around the 'perfect victim' expectation.

But whether they decide she was a victim in the first place or not, the fact remains that Higgins was never going to be a presentation of perfection, because that expectation is unrealistic. "It's not a story", she said. "This case is certainly not about the experiences of other women in parliament or the #MeToo movement. She was called "unreliable"and someone who was "prepared to say just about anything". In order to be a perfect victim, you cannot accept a drink, or worse, be drunk. That Brittany Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann spent time in one another's company on Friday, March 22, 2019 is a fact nobody disputes.

There are at least 325000 reasons the Parliament House rape trial is important to Brittany Higgins, according to...

These days, I cover the ACT and Queanbeyan courts. After stints in New Zealand, the UK and the Canary Islands, I returned to Australia in 2018. He said she had been "faced with a fork in the road" in the aftermath of the alleged rape, and forced to choose between reporting it and becoming a political problem or keeping her "dream job" in parliament. Mr Drumgold told jurors Ms Higgins had appropriately acted with caution before deciding to pursue a police complaint, arguing she had been "a young lady in the middle of strong political forces". Mr Whybrow told jurors he was not in court to tell them why Ms Higgins had decided to take that course at that time, but he offered a suggestion as to why she had since continued to press the rape allegation. He cited Ms Higgins saying she thought she had dealt with two male security guards when one was in fact female, as well as a comment she had made about her recollection of signing something at the entrance to Parliament House perhaps being "a built memory".

The jury is entering another day of deliberations in the trial for Bruce Lehrmann, the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament House.

“Nor does it mean you have to find in favour of the prosecutor on each and every fact,” she said. The onus is not on the accused to prove his innocence, instead it is for the prosecutor to establish his guilt beyond reasonable doubt, the court heard. She pointed out that it is the job of both the defence and prosecution “to persuade” and what they say about the evidence is “not in itself evidence”.

As jurors enter their third day deliberating in the trial of accused Brittan Higgins rapist Bruce Lehrmann, is an acquittal is coming?

Jury deliberations are continuing in the trial of Bruce Lehrmann, who is accused of raping former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins inside Parliament House.

"It's something she made up to make it more believable. 25+ news channels in 1 place. Mr Whybrow told the court Ms Higgins did not have a "genuine recollection" of what happened and said she had built a "concatenation" of things when reconstructing what occurred on March 22 and the early hours of March 23. Try 1 month free. A jury of eight women and four men will decide on a verdict after almost three weeks in the ACT Supreme Court. [Stream more Australian news with Flash.

A jury of eight women and four men will decide a verdict in the criminal trial of Bruce Lehrmann, who is ac...

"Be careful about speculation and pre-conception ... McCallum said his decision not to give evidence in court could not be used as an admission of guilt and did not strengthen the prosecution's case. The chief justice summed up the prosecution and defence cases and said it was up to the jury to decide which evidence they did and did not accept.

No verdict has been reached yet in the trial for Bruce Lehrmann, the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins at Parliament House.

Chief Justice McCallum highlighted that the key three-word phrase they needed to consider was beyond reasonable doubt, not “beyond any doubt”. She pointed out that it is the job of both the defence and prosecution “to persuade” and what they say about the evidence is “not in itself evidence”. Chief Justice McCallum reminded the jury members not to read what is in the media or discuss the case with people at home.