Latest news with #rapeTrial
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Conor McGregor appeal begins with dramatic development as he withdraws ‘fresh evidence'
Conor McGregor's appeal against the finding of a High Court jury in a civil rape trial has opened with a dramatic development. The legal team for the former mixed martial arts fighter was granted permission to withdraw an application to bring fresh evidence in support of his case at the Court of Appeal. Advertisement Former hairdresser Nikita Hand (35) sued Mr McGregor over an incident at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018. McGregor was found civilly liable for assault but has since sought an appeal which was initially due to include an application to bring fresh evidence. At the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, his legal team asked for the application to bring new evidence to be withdrawn. This was granted by the three presiding judges. The appeal is proceeding on other grounds brought by McGregor's legal team. More to follow...
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.
News.com.au
01-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Bruce Lehrmann picks up new job as live-in nanny while awaiting defamation appeal, Qld rape trial
Former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann has taken up a new job as a live-in nanny while awaiting for an appeal of his defamation case and unrelated rape trial in Queensland. Mr Lehrmann, 29, is understood to be looking after the family's children in an unpaid capacity. The Daily Telegraph – who exclusively obtained details of the role, in addition to obtaining a photo of Mr Lehrmann at the movies – reports the former Liberal staffer has been taken in by a close family friend and is living with the family, who are outside NSW. In a statement Mr Lehrmann's lawyer, Zali Burrows, said: 'Bruce really relishes the role he has in the children's lives and the family really adore him.' 'It's been a safe, happy sanctuary, away from the mental and financial turmoil he is going through,' Ms Burrows' statement continued. It is understood Mr Lehrmann is continuing to study law, taking a particular specialisation in criminal law, while working in his new role. In 2021, he was identified as the political staffer accused of raping fellow colleague Brittany Higgins inside Parliament House, following a night out in Canberra in 2019. Mr Lehrmann has consistently maintained his innocence. In 2022, he stood trial in the ACT Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to sexually assaulting Ms Higgins, but the trial was aborted due to juror misconduct. Prosecutors subsequently dropped the charges and did not pursue a retrial due to concerns about Ms Higgins' mental health. In a subsequent high-stakes civil lawsuit, Mr Lehrmann claimed he had been defamed by an interview aired on The Project, where Ms Higgins first alleged she was raped. Last year, Justice Michael Lee last year dismissed the lawsuit against Network Ten and Ms Wilkinson after he found – on the civil standard of the balance of probabilities – that Mr Lehrmann had raped Ms Higgins inside Parliament House. He found 'Mr Lehrmann was hellbent on having sex' and 'he did not care one way or another whether Ms Higgins understood or agreed to what was going on'. An appeal against Justice Lee's decision remains before the court. Mr Lehrmann is also due to stand trial in Toowoomba District Court on two counts of rape, which stem from an alleged incident in the Garden City in 2021. A date for trial has not been set and Mr Lehrmann has not yet entered a plea, but has previously indicated he will fight the charges. Ms Burrows is representing Mr Lehrman in both his civil claim and his criminal trial – after he dropped his original legal team back in March. During a call-over mention on May 22, Ms Burrows told the court there appeared to be a 'shroud of secrecy' over the investigation into her client. 'The Crown cannot confirm, at this stage, if there are any police notebook or diary entries in respect of this investigation, which is pretty concerning,' Ms Burrows said.
