Bruce Lehrmann revealed as man charged with two counts of rape in Toowoomba

[western royboy]

I entirely disagree with that sentiment.

History has shown us that the only way to ensure nothing changes is to give up and stop calling things out and telling truth to power.

Journalists, victims and the general public calling out abuses of power and demanding answers and independent inquiries.

The 2013 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse laid bare the facts of decades of horrific abuse conducted by church leaders and finally led to the reparations and changes in behaviour that are still working through the system.

The 2021 Report of the Australian Human Rights Commission Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces documented the horrible truth of sexual assault, harassment and bullying that was allowed to happen in the Commonwealth Parliament and MPs offices.

Both of these reviews are a direct result of brave victims coming out and telling their stories and principled journalists putting their stories into print and on air and shining a light into the hidden places where these despicable acts of betrayal happen.

That's how change happens. It doesn't happen overnight but if enough people care enough to listen and to highlight the stories then it can't be ignored.

The behaviours of The Australian Newspaper and its right wing columnist in what looks like an attempt to influence an independent judicial inquiry have been laid bare by the Justice Kaye. That would never have happened if former Senior Prosecutor Shane Drumgold had not blown the whistle on the manner in which he was treated by the Inquiry Chair Walter Sofronoff. Drumgold himself has not come out unscathed but he has shone a spotlight on how our criminal justice system can be so easily be led astray by those with media power, connections and a politically motivated agenda to pursue.

I think this will not be ignored. Hopefully the Guardian article linked above is just the start.

I’m a survivor of clerical abuse - if you think anything changed within the Catholic Church because of the Royal Commission - you’re off your rocker. Multiple people lied under oath yet nothing happened. In my own case the Church attempted to walk back admissions they made. Get with reality.

 

[Not Important]

wow! we knew it was hard to sustain a case of rape but that is shocking.

 

[Festerz]

wow! we knew it was hard to sustain a case of rape but that is shocking.

And the ACT, where the alleged rape of Ms Higgins occurred, is the worst jurisdiction in Australia at laying charges over alleged sexual assaults with a 2021 report that showed the ACT laid charges over alleged sexual assaults at a rate six times lower than the national average.

Even worse we learned during the Sofronoff Inquiry that the ACT Police’s “Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Team (SACAT) was understaffed with inexperienced investigators and a lack of training.

The head of that unit told the Sofronoff Inquiry that his unit was regarded as a “training ground … for budding detectives” and said investigations were often run by “very young officers … with minimal or less-than-ideal direction from a senior officer”.

You would have thought those facts and evidence would have been front and centre of Sofronoff's findings in his Inquiry into the ACT criminal justice system in the aftermath of the aborted Lehrmann rape trial. Sadly they barely got a mention from Sofronoff and Albrechtsen.

Bruce Lehrmann inquiry hears ACT least likely in nation to lay charges in sexual assault cases

Detective also questioned over liking a social media post that said ‘Lerhmann is innocent until proven otherwise’ but denies it demonstrates bias

www.theguardian.com

 

[Crankyhawk]

As was correctly pointed out in the crime thread - the finding in relation to Sofronoff was 'apprehended bias' with the Judge finding Sofronoff's 273 interactions with the columnist, Janet Albrechtsen, gave the impression he “might have been influenced by the views held and publicly expressed” by her.

Details of the extent and manner of exclusive communication between Sofronoff and the Australian's Janet Albrechtsen as alleged by Drumgold's counsel and summarised in yesterday's judgement makes for interesting reading:

As is noted in the judgment at [147-148], it was 'not only was the quantity of communications, which Mr Sofronoff had with Ms Albrechtsen, much greater than those which he had with other journalists, but, significantly, the nature of the communications he had with Ms Albrechtsen were quite different to those which he had with other journalists.'

Sofronoff's dealings with every other journalist was through a general media email address. Janet Albrechtsen was the only one with a constant direct line to him during the hearings - through four different email addresses.

'In particular, no other journalist: was given the opportunity toengage directly with Mr Sofronoff; had lunch with Mr Sofronoff; had a choice of email addresses by which they might communicate with Mr Sofronoff; assisted the Inquiry by providing information to it in the manner in which Ms Albrechtsen had; was provided by Mr Sofronoff with documents related to the Inquiry; was provided with drafts of the final report of the Inquiry'

Impt to note that Drumgold didn't come out of this totally vindicated. Justice Kaye found that the majority of findings made by Sofronoff against Drumgold were not unreasonable from a legal viewpoint. Unsurprisingly the Australian's Janet Albrechtsen has leapt on this fact in her column today:

View attachment 1920031



But what Albrechtsen fails to report is that yesterday's judgement confirms that her close engagement with the 'Independent' Chair of the Review of the Lehrmann rape trial has led to deep questions as to his motives and impartiality and so undermines the whole basis of the Sofronoff Report.

IMHO her behaviour and that of The Australian newspaper throughout the Lehrmann - Higgins saga has been shameful.

The full judgement is here for anyone interested:

https://www.courts.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/2408129/Drumgold-No-3.pdf

Wonder if there are grounds to complain to the press council about her.

 

[QuietB]

Wonder if there are grounds to complain to the press council about her.

lol - the Press Council is one of the shining lights of self regulation.

 

[Not Important]

yesi yesi and ‘pustulant tumour’ how apposite.

 

[Festerz]

Albrechtsen picks another winner:



Given her legal background I wonder if she was one of the parties threatening legal action if the story was broadcast.

 

[E Shed]

Albrechtsen picks another winner:

View attachment 1923236

Given her legal background I wonder if she was one of the parties threatening legal action if the story was broadcast.

Yes heaven forbid the next generation of entitled, born to rule w***ers should ever have to be accountable for their actions or attitudes.

 

[kalex6251]

chances of albrechtson going on gardening leave increase by the day

 

[Ballarat Bob]

chances of albrechtson going on gardening leave increase by the day

It's the Australian ....she will probably get promoted.

 

[Festerz]

chances of albrechtson going on gardening leave increase by the day

Why? And who would make her?

She's exactly the sort of non-journalist commentator with a clear right wing political agenda that the Australian and other Murdoch tabloids/outlets and their customers love.

That she continues to get front page billing on The Australian, like this one from Saturday, shows that.

 

[Chief]

It's the Australian ....she will probably get promoted.

And a party thrown in her honour, Brooks style.

 

[Festerz]

Following a complaint last June to ACT Policing, which operates under the umbrella of the AFP, officers determined there was no clear criminal behaviour that would prompt an investigation into whether someone had committed contempt of court by passing confidential information to the media.'

'In a statement earlier this month, an ACT Policing spokesperson said the force had not investigated the complaint.'


What a surprise!!

But then.....



Sources familiar with the matter, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not authorised to speak publicly, said officers DID refer the leak to the anti-corruption commission in November to determine whether any AFP officers were involved.
The Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, a watchdog tasked with detecting corruption in federal agencies including the AFP, confirmed last year that it would investigate how Higgins’ private diaries and text messages were leaked to the media despite not being tendered in evidence to court.

The watchdog’s then-executive director of operations, Peter Ratcliffe, said in an email seen and reported on by this masthead last April that it was investigating the “potential leaking of documents and photos by AFP members to the media”, following a complaint from Higgins’ lawyer Leon Zwier. The watchdog has since been folded into the anti-corruption commission.

The commission said in a statement on Thursday that investigations the integrity watchdog had started but not completed by July 1 last year “are now continued by the commission”.

Lehrmann said he was unaware of any investigation over the leak.

The AFP declined to comment.


Reckon the odds of this investigation of who leaked Ms Higgins confidential information provided to the AFP to the media ending in yet another dead end are unbackable.

AFP referred Lehrmann interview leak to corruption watchdog

Sources say the AFP referred the leak of sensitive legal material that surfaced in a TV interview with Lehrmann to the anti-corruption commission to determine whether its own officers were involved.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

 

[Festerz]

Also on Lehrmann....

The judge presiding over former federal Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann’s multimillion-dollar defamation case against Network Ten and high-profile presenter Lisa Wilkinson will deliver his decision on 4 April, in a case that attracted an unprecedented audience online.

The case marks the first time in Australian legal history that a de facto sexual assault trial – involving Ten seeking to prove on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped his then-colleague Brittany Higgins in 2019 – has been streamed on YouTube.

Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial: verdict to be handed down on 4 April

Justice Michael Lee to hand down decision after considering 15,000 pages of transcript and hours of CCTV footage in case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson

www.theguardian.com

 

[Festerz]

And this...

Spotlight producer Steve Jackson, who was not present on the night and did not authorise or have any knowledge of the use of the credit card, then suggested the employee ask the Thai masseuse to reverse the transactions the next day and “pay cash instead” to remove the transaction from the credit card in keeping with the network’s expense policies.

Mr Jackson, who has recently been appointed as the NSW Police commissioner Karen Webb’s new spin doctor, suggested to the employee at the time the masseuse be paid “a bonus” of $250 to facilitate the different payment method.

But please, as the Maiden story reminds us, yet again,

'There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Mr Lehrmann'

I'm loving this long time.

https://www.news.com.au/national/seven-credit-card-used-to-book-1000-thai-masseuse-for-bruce-lehrmann/news-story/309abe1125bb658d854675a7702a995d

 

[Chief]

He's already acting like a member of Parliament!

 

[QuietB]

The Member for Manila is still vacant

 

[Geelong_Bisons_#36]

$1000 for a massage.
Sounds legit.

 

[QuietB]

$1000 for a massage.
Sounds legit.

When it is not your money who cares

 

[Festerz]

$1000 for a massage.
Sounds legit.

$1250 if the parlour reversed the transaction and took cash instead to take the transaction off the books.

That was the position of the former Stokes' employee the NSW Police Commissioner has just appointed as the NSW Police Force spin doctor.

Where's that idiot who was claiming this saga doesn't belong in the politics thread?

It stinks to high heaven.

 

[barreness]

$1000 for a massage.
Sounds legit.

'The Spotlight credit card, which is provided to multiple staff for work on assignment on their Apple Pay wallet, was used to book the massage therapists to attend an Elizabeth Bay address.

Two Thai masseuses were booked – one for Mr Lehrmann and another for a Seven employee'

$500 each, to your door, I'd say they got the full service.

Classy operation is channel 7

 

[Chief]

Two Thai masseuses were booked – one for Mr Lehrmann and another for a Seven employee'

This gets better and better!

 

[QuietB]

We need to celebrate the positives here - at least the "masseuse" was (probably) awake.

 

[Not Important]

The Member for Manila is still vacant

what's happened to the fat man? Living off the fat of the land on his enormous parliamentary pension?

 

[CakeEater]

'The Spotlight credit card, which is provided to multiple staff for work on assignment on their Apple Pay wallet, was used to book the massage therapists to attend an Elizabeth Bay address.

Two Thai masseuses were booked – one for Mr Lehrmann and another for a Seven employee'

$500 each, to your door, I'd say they got the full service.

Classy operation is channel 7

What did Sacha Baren Cohen say

Never on the Company credit card always Cash Cash Cash