Latest news with #ZaliBurrows
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
That might soften the blow! Bruce Lehrmann shares a wine with his lawyer - after failing to get $50,000 out of Daily Mail Australia for absurd reason
Bruce Lehrmann has been pictured enjoying a glass of wine with lawyer Zali Burrows in a cosy Tasmanian bar after yet another major court loss. The former political staffer and his solicitor were spotted having an early evening drink at Mary Mary in Hobart's fashionable Salamanca Place, before heading next door to Peppina Italian restaurant. Lehrmann and Ms Burrows shared a bottle of red with their meal before leaving the Parliament Square precinct so that she could catch a flight back to Sydney on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Lehrmann had sent Ms Burrows along to Hobart Magistrates Court to seek a restraining order against a Daily Mail Australia reporter, after he unsuccessfully demanded $50,000 in damages for a story he didn't like. It is now 15 months since Federal Court judge Michael Lee found on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped his one-time colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House. Six months after Justice Lee ruled Lehrmann had not been defamed by Network Ten during an interview with Ms Higgins, the Centrelink recipient was crying poor in the same court. Responding to Ten's demand Lehrmann provide $200,000 security to appeal against Justice Lee's decision, Ms Burrows said her client was 'pretty much unemployable' and did not have the funds. 'The only shot he'd probably ever have in making money is by going on OnlyFans or something silly like that,' Ms Burrows told the court. Justice Wendy Adams ultimately found Lehrmann did not have to put up the $200,000, but he still faces picking up $2million of Ten's legal costs for the original trial if he loses his appeal. Last week, Lehrmann demanded Daily Mail Australia pay him $50,000 plus legal costs, and take down a story he claimed portrayed him in a bad light. Lehrmann also sought an interim restraining order against reporter Karleigh Smith who had written the piece about his new life with a 45-year-old mother-of-two in a Tasmanian hamlet. Daily Mail Australia did not take down the story, did not pay Lehrmann a cent and successfully challenged the interim order on Tuesday after a hearing in Hobart Magistrates Court. When Ten sought the $200,000 security from Lehrmann, Ms Burrows described her client as 'arguably Australia's most hated man' and said he was too 'scared' to appear in person in the Federal Court. On Tuesday, he again chose to stay away from proceedings when Ms Burrows sought the interim restraining order. The court heard the order would cover Lehrmann as well as Kelly Walker, with whom the 30-year-old had been living at Port Huon, about 55km south-west of Hobart. Lehrmann has been acting as a male nanny to Ms Walker's two sons, who are said to call him 'Uncle Bruce', which was the subject of a story published by Daily Mail Australia on July 1. Lehrmann and Ms Burrows shared a bottle of red with their meal before leaving the Parliament Square precinct so that she could catch a flight back to Sydney on Tuesday That story ran under the headline which began: 'Bruce Lehrmann's last chance saloon'. 'We found the despised party boy hiding at the end of the Earth - and he's shacked up with a single mum who has a LOT to say to the local haters,' it continued. Lehrmann outlined in an affidavit produced for the restraining order application the 'extraordinary and unorthodox' lengths he had gone to avoid publication attention. 'I have been the subject of intense and ongoing media scrutiny since 2021, much of it vile, false and extremely hurtful,' he wrote. 'I have received credible threats to my safety, online abuse, and been physically stalked by journalists or private individuals on multiple occasions. 'I have long suffered mental health trauma because of the coverage, and this has been well documented publicly and in the Federal Court of Australia. 'As a result, I take extraordinary and unorthodox precautions to ensure my safety and wellbeing.' Ms Burrows claimed Lehrmann had suffered significant distress and psychological injury as a result of being 'pursued' as part of Daily Mail Australia's investigation. 'My client will be providing evidence of personal injury to his mental condition,' she told magistrate Jackie Hartnett. Ms Burrows claimed Smith and a photographer 'dangerously' followed Lehrmann in a car on a dirt road, which Smith has vehemently denied. Barrister Nic Edmondson, acting for Smith, said the Sydney-based reporter had only visited Tasmania for work once - to write the story about Lehrmann - and she had not returned to the state since. Mr Edmondson submitted a restraining order risked unfairly impacting on Smith's freedom of speech and would prevent her writing future stories about Lehrmann. 'She is entitled to engage in the type of conduct that she did, in following Mr Lehrmann and in photographing Mr Lehrmann,' Mr Edmondson said. Ms Burrows claimed Lehrmann had suffered further psychological harm because Smith was represented by Mark O'Brien Legal, a law firm which had previously acted for him. Mark O'Brien Legal has been engaged for more than a decade by Daily Mail Australia to provide legal services to the publisher and its journalists. Ms Hartnett rejected Lehrmann's application for an interim order and set the matter down for a November 13 hearing. 'I am not satisfied on the material before me that an interim order is appropriate,' she said. Hours later, Lehrmann and Ms Burrows were pictured together by a freelance photographer who had not been commissioned by Daily Mail Australia and had offered the images to other media outlets. Asked to comment on what had happened in court, Lehrmann said: 'We are very grateful to the magistrate for getting a fast hearing on the case.' Ms Burrows is also representing Lehrmann in another case in which he has pleaded not guilty to stealing a Toyota Prado from a farm in the Huon Valley, south of Hobart. That matter returns to court in September. Lehrmann sued Ten and presenter Lisa Wilkinson over a February 2021 interview on The Project in which Ms Higgins alleged she had been raped on a couch at Parliament House almost two years earlier. While Lehrmann was not named, he claimed he was easily identifiable as the onetime colleague Ms Higgins said had sexually assaulted her in the office of Senator Linda Reynolds. The defamation case came after Lehrmann, who has always denied raping Ms Higgins, faced a criminal trial which was abandoned due to juror misconduct in 2022. Lehrmann is separately accused of twice raping a woman in October 2021 the morning after they met at a strip club in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane. Ms Burrows filed an application in Toowoomba District Court in June seeking a permanent stay in Lehrmann's pending trial on the rape charges. Lehrmann's appeal against Justice Lee's decision in the defamation matter is listed for hearing in the Federal Court on August 20.
ABC News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Bruce Lehrmann's bid to have Toowoomba rape charges halted will be heard next month
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann's bid to have rape charges permanently halted will be back in a Queensland court next month. An application by the 30-year-old, seeking to have the rape case stopped, was mentioned briefly in the District Court in Ipswich today. Mr Lehrmann appeared via telephone hook-up, as did his Sydney-based lawyer, Zali Burrows, and the Crown prosecutor. But the substance of Mr Lehrmann's new application, for a stay of proceedings and a declaration that intercepted phone calls between Mr Lehrmann's lawyers and Queensland police were "illegally obtained", was not discussed at length. Instead, Judge Dennis Lynch ordered that Mr Lehrmann's lawyers file an outline of arguments and material by July 14 and the Crown respond by July 21, ahead of a hearing in the Toowoomba District Court later in the month. Mr Lehrmann faces two counts of rape, alleged to have occurred in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, in October 2021. Today's brief hearing came after Mr Lehrmann lodged the new application earlier this week to have the matter halted. The ABC can reveal that Mr Lehrmann has also now asked Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) to launch an inquiry into the way the rape case was investigated and prosecuted. Mr Lehrmann has requested that the corruption body conduct a review and investigation into police, the prosecution, and government officials linked to the case. A CCC spokesperson said: "The CCC does not confirm or comment on any complaint or investigation, referrals to other agencies or matters before the court." Mr Lehrmann's District Court application and the CCC complaint follow weeks of legal wrangling between the Crown and Mr Lehrmann's lawyer. Mr Lehrmann has not yet been required to enter a plea, and the matter returns to court in Toowoomba on July 25.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lehrmann pushes to stop rape trial
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has taken a dramatic step to halt his upcoming rape trial, filing an application that alleges police unlawfully recorded conversations with his legal team. The 29-year-old former Liberal Party staffer was charged with two counts of rape over an alleged incident in Toowoomba in October 2021. Mr Lehrmann's Sydney-based lawyer, Zali Burrows, lodged a fresh application in the Toowoomba District Court on Monday, requesting a permanent stay of proceedings. It followed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) filing an affidavit last Friday that the defence argues failed to include all relevant material in the case. The matter was briefly mentioned in the Ipswich District Court on Wednesday, as the Toowoomba District Court was not sitting. Mr Lehrmann and Ms Burrows both appeared via phone. The permanent stay application stems from allegations that police unlawfully recorded phone calls with Mr Lehrmann's lawyer. According to the defence, an officer failed to initially disclose six items, including four audio recordings of conversations between her and Mr Lehrmann's former legal representative, two recordings involving the alleged victim, and one with a witness. Judge Dennis Lynch ordered all material the parties intend to rely on, including affidavits and written submissions, to be filed by July 14 for the applicant and July 21 for the respondent. He adjourned the case to the previously scheduled date of July 25 when the permanent stay application will be heard alongside a separate defence application for full disclosure of police material. While Queensland law permits individuals to record conversations they are a party to, NSW law, where all of Mr Lehrmann's legal representatives are based, requires consent from all parties or specific exemptions. In May, Ms Burrows lodged an application seeking full disclosure of all material in the Queensland Police Service's possession. The ODPP's affidavit filed last week was in response to that request. If the permanent stay application succeeds, the rape charges against Mr Lehrmann could be dropped. Mr Lehrmann's bail was formally extended, and the matter is scheduled to be heard on July 25 at the Toowoomba District Court. He has indicted that he will defend the charges but is yet to enter any pleas.
News.com.au
25-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Bruce Lehrmann's lawyer alleges unlawful police recordings in bid to stop trial
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has taken a dramatic step to halt his upcoming rape trial, filing an application that alleges police unlawfully recorded conversations with his legal team. The 29-year-old former Liberal Party staffer was charged with two counts of rape over an alleged incident in Toowoomba in October 2021. Mr Lehrmann's Sydney-based lawyer, Zali Burrows, lodged a fresh application in the Toowoomba District Court on Monday, requesting a permanent stay of proceedings. It followed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) filing an affidavit last Friday that the defence argues failed to include all relevant material in the case. The matter was briefly mentioned in the Ipswich District Court on Wednesday, as the Toowoomba District Court was not sitting. Mr Lehrmann and Ms Burrows both appeared via phone. The permanent stay application stems from allegations that police unlawfully recorded phone calls with Mr Lehrmann's lawyer. According to the defence, an officer failed to initially disclose six items, including four audio recordings of conversations between her and Mr Lehrmann's former legal representative, two recordings involving the alleged victim, and one with a witness. Judge Dennis Lynch ordered all material the parties intend to rely on, including affidavits and written submissions, to be filed by July 14 for the applicant and July 21 for the respondent. He adjourned the case to the previously scheduled date of July 25 when the permanent stay application will be heard alongside a separate defence application for full disclosure of police material. While Queensland law permits individuals to record conversations they are a party to, NSW law, where all of Mr Lehrmann's legal representatives are based, requires consent from all parties or specific exemptions. In May, Ms Burrows lodged an application seeking full disclosure of all material in the Queensland Police Service's possession. The ODPP's affidavit filed last week was in response to that request. If the permanent stay application succeeds, the rape charges against Mr Lehrmann could be dropped. Mr Lehrmann's bail was formally extended, and the matter is scheduled to be heard on July 25 at the Toowoomba District Court. He has indicted that he will defend the charges but is yet to enter any pleas.
ABC News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Bruce Lehrmann lodges court application to have rape charges halted
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has filed a court application seeking that rape charges against him in Queensland be permanently halted. The application, filed this week in the Toowoomba District Court, seeks a declaration that intercepted phone calls between Mr Lehrmann's lawyers and Queensland police were "illegally obtained". The defence's application also requested that the defendant have a list of materials in the police investigation and a declaration that the Queensland Police Service "do not have the power nor the discretion to determine what is relevant to a defence case and must disclose all materials in the course of the police investigation". Mr Lehrmann's Sydney-based lawyer Zali Burrows filed the application for a permanent stay of the proceedings and for pre-trial directions and rulings under the Criminal Code. It follows weeks of legal wrangling between the Crown and Ms Burrows, who came on board as his legal representative after the case was committed for trial. Mr Lehrmann faces two counts of rape, alleged to have occurred in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, in October 2021. Following a committal hearing in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court in July 2024, Mr Lehrmann was committed to stand trial in the Toowoomba District Court. In May this year, Ms Burrows told the District Court, during a mention of the case, that there was a "shroud of secrecy" over the police investigation into her client. On that occasion, Ms Burrows said the defence had only received about 200 pages of a 2,200-page download from the complainant's mobile phone records. The defence was also seeking access to all police notebooks, diary entries, emails and text messages related to the rape investigation. A hearing of the defence application for the police notebooks and other information has been set down for July 25 in the Toowoomba District Court. Mr Lehrmann's application for a permanent stay will be mentioned in the Ipswich District Court on Wednesday, as the Toowoomba District Court is not sitting this week. Court documents, filed in the Toowoomba District Court, also include an affidavit from the practice manager at the Toowoomba office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Peter Blake-Segovia. In that affidavit, Mr Blake-Segovia said that the arresting police officer, Detective Senior Constable Ashlee Ryder, had responded to him via email, setting out items in her possession that were not provided as part of the brief to the DPP, including: Mr Blake-Segovia said the police officer had also confirmed "that there were two notebooks in her possession that were not part of the brief provided to the Director of Public Prosecutions. I have sought these items be provided for disclosure." The officer confirmed that all signed statements had been provided but that a further addendum, from the complainant, had been drafted but not yet signed. Once signed, it would be provided, the DPP officer said. The DPP said that once all items were received from the police officer, they would be reviewed "to ascertain whether they ought to be disclosed" prior to the hearing listed for July 25.
