ACT Police have been {accused} of ‘aligning’ themselves with Bruce Lehrmann’s defence staff throughout his rape trial by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The ACT DPP Shane Drumgold has already raised issues about ‘political and police conduct’ within the case of the previous Liberal staffer.
Mr Lehrmann had been {accused} of raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament Home in March, 2019. He has at all times strenuously denied the allegations.
Mr Drumgold aired his complaints about police in a letter to the AFP Police chief Neil Gaughan despatched on November 1.
ACT Police have been {accused} of ‘aligning’ themselves with Bruce Lehrmann’s (pictured) defence staff throughout his rape trial by the Director of Public Prosecutions
Within the letter he claims the police physique was ‘clearly aligned with the profitable defence’, and had prompt the choice to do a retrial be made by another person.
‘On the discharge of the jury on the twenty seventh of October 2022, defence barrister Steven Whybrow spoke to my junior (REDACTED) and said that he had a gathering with the investigators and that that they had prompt that he contact me and firstly counsel I used to be not neutral,’ the DPP’s letter to the AFP states, information.com.au reported.
‘And consequently request that I ought to outsource the choice as as to if or to not re-run the trial to somebody outdoors the workplace.’
Mr Lehrmann’s authorized staff mentioned they’d spoken to police concerning the bail situations imposed on him whereas awaiting a second trial, that has since been deserted.
‘That is emblematic of the fixed unique direct engagement police have had with the defence relatively than the prosecution within the lead up and through the trial,’ Mr Drumgold wrote within the letter.
Mr Lehrmann had been {accused} of raping Brittany Higgins (pictured) in Parliament Home in March, 2019. He has at all times strenuously denied the allegations
Mr Drumgold additionally mentioned Ms Higgins felt ‘bullied’ by detectives.
‘The complainant has lengthy expressed issues that through the investigation stage, she additionally felt bullied by police, who she felt have been pressuring her into discontinuing the grievance,’ he wrote.
Mr Gaughan mentioned in a leaked electronic mail to police that ‘the allegation the DPP has made towards particular person ACT policing members is untested’.
‘These allegations are handled by way of the suitable mechanisms. So I am unable to remark additional.
‘Operation Covina has been a difficult case for all concerned. I acknowledge the dedication, professionalism and dedication of the officers concerned within the investigation.’
The ACT DPP Shane Drumgold has already raised issues about ‘political and police conduct’ within the case of the previous Liberal staffer
In the identical letter despatched on November 1, Mr Drumgold mentioned ‘there ought to be a public enquiry into each political and police conduct on this matter’.
ACT Lawyer-Common Shane Rattenbury confirmed the matter had been referred to the Australian Fee for Legislation Enforcement Integrity for additional investigation.
The police union earlier slammed Mr Drumgold’s workplace for criticising the Australian Federal Police and ACT Policing who investigated the matter.
In an announcement, Australian Federal Police Affiliation president Alex Caruana mentioned the union ‘wholeheartedly’ supported a judicial inquiry into Mr Lehrmann’s trial.
However he mentioned ‘determined makes an attempt’ to smear the police forces by the territory’s prime prosecutor have been untested and the topic of an inner investigation.
