A board of inquiry into the conduct of police and prosecutors within the case towards former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann, might be led by Walter Sofronoff, who was previously Queensland’s solicitor-general and headed up the state’s courtroom of attraction.
Key factors:
- Walter Sofronoff led the Grantham Floods Fee of Inquiry in 2016
- He retired as solicitor-general for Queensland in 2014 after 5 years within the place
- Additional particulars about the phrases of reference for the inquiry are anticipated to be revealed on Wednesday
The inquiry was introduced final yr after the ACT’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shane Drumgold, claimed that police pressured him to abandon the rape trial.
Mr Lehrmann had been accused of raping his then-colleague Brittany Higgins in an workplace at Parliament Home in 2019.
His trial was aborted after misconduct by a juror and, though a retrial was initially scheduled to start February 20, the retrial was abandoned by Mr Drumgold last year, amid fears any trial would have adversely affected Ms Higgins’s well being.
Mr Lehrmann has maintained his innocence and there have been no findings towards him.
Within the letter Mr Drumgold despatched to the ACT’s Chief Police Officer, Neil Gaughan, simply days earlier than the federal government introduced an inquiry, the territory’s high prosecutor complained of “blatant misrepresentations” and “cherry-picked” summaries of proof by officers, as he alleged police pressured him to not cost Mr Lehrmann on numerous events.
He stated there was additionally an effort to press him to not pursue a re-trial.
In December, the ACT authorities introduced it could maintain a board of inquiry – the ACT equal of a royal fee — into the roles performed by the felony justice companies.
On the time, Chief Minister Andrew Barr described the allegations as “severe”, saying it was essential to make sure these concerned had pursued their duties with “acceptable rigour, impartiality and independence”.
The federal government has already made clear that the inquiry will look into interactions between the police and prosecutors, the appropriateness of ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner Heidi Yates supporting Ms Higgins through the trial, and whether or not the ACT wanted to introduce measures to take care of juror misconduct.
Additional particulars are anticipated to be revealed tomorrow.
However the ACT authorities has introduced Mr Sofronoff would lead the unbiased inquiry.
Mr Sofronoff isn’t any stranger to inquiries, having led the Grantham Floods Fee of Inquiry in 2016.
He retired as solicitor-general for Queensland in 2014, after 5 years.
And in Might final yr, he stepped down as president of the Queensland Court docket of Enchantment.
Mr Barr has beforehand stated he wished a report from the inquiry earlier than the top of June, though the formal phrases of reference have but to be introduced.
