Updated Bruce Lehrmann Pt2 * ACT Bar clears former DPP head Shane Drumgold of misconduct

[Kurve]

Here is PART 1

Historical Rape Allegation Against Fmr AG Christian Porter
The Alexander Matters matters

Just a reminder, this is the crime board and we need to be aware that there will be victims of crime either watching this thread or engaging in here from time to time. A degree of respect in all discussions is expected.

LINK TO TIMELINE
CJS INQUIRY
FINAL REPORT – BOARD OF INQUIRY – CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Joint media statement – Chief Minister and Attorney-General



FIONA BROWN - AFFIDAVIT

 

[jason_recliner]

Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz private text messages ‘mocked’ Reynolds: lawyer​

Messages were read out in court showing the pair discussing the senator taking time off work, and talking with journalists about her.

“Linda has delayed her return to work hahah” and “some sh*t Linda you are walking in it,” messages read.

Mr Bennett said the messages “mock the fact the attack initiated on my client has caused her to go on sick leave”.

He said Ms Higgins told news.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden “off the record” that she did not think the senator should lose her job.

It had been widely reported in the media that it was no longer tenable for Senator Reynolds to hold the defence ministry.

“Why off the record?” he questioned.

“Did she not want Maiden to publish, we say her genuine honest belief after the allegations she made against Reynolds?” Mr Bennett asked.

Other text messages between the pair revealed Ms Higgins cleared her phone out before she reopened her complaint about the alleged rape with the Australian Federal Police.

...

Mr Bennett told the court Ms Higgins’ evidence during her personal injury claim with the Commonwealth was complete fiction.

He said when she was asked about seeking counselling and being offered support in the wake of her allegations, her answers were wrong.

“The only thing she got right was when the federal election was called,” he said.

“Every paragraph in these particulars is wrong.”

Senator Reynolds was excluded from the mediation proceedings when a $2.4m settlement was made between Ms Higgins and the Commonwealth, the court was told.

The senator has maintained she was never given an opportunity to defend any allegations that were made against her during the settlement.

She believed the Commonwealth had engaged in a level of corruption surrounding the compensation payment.

The senator reported the settlement to the National Anti-Corruption Committee to investigate circumstances surrounding the settlement.

https://www.news.com.au/national/we...n/news-story/e6c3391be1251e100b84c9f5510df2a9

Brittany Higgins ‘wouldn’t have a bar’ of offers of support, Linda Reynolds’ lawyer tells court​

Reynolds’ lawyer, Martin Bennett, on Wednesday rebutted defence claims that Higgins had been left isolated in April and May 2019 while campaigning in Perth shortly after the incident.

He said there had been 20 attempts to offer phone counselling support to Higgins but they were not taken up. This was evidenced in documents which he said appeared in his yet-to-be released closing submissions.

“People were trying to support [Higgins] but she wouldn’t have a bar of it,” Bennett said.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/art...-defamation-trial-case-final-arguments-ntwnfb

 

[Festerz]

The revelation that SkyNews commentator and Tony Abbott's former CoS Peta Credlin played a key role in advising Brittany Higgins subsequent to her alleged rape in Parliament House surely puts an end to the based narrative that Higgins actions were aimed at bringing down the Scott Morrison coalition.

While not called to give evidence, the tabling of the Higgins-Credlin email conversations over several months backs what Sam Maiden said in court about Higgins' motives being to change the Parliament House culture.

Those conversations revealed yesterday show that Credlin's role included:

- Editing David Sharaz's draft "Brittany Higgins Media Statement" in '21;

- Played mediator to get PM Scott Morrison's full support and leadership for a review of Parliament House procedures; and

- Drafted the Terms of Reference for an independent Parliament House workplace review to be led by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

Credlin's back seat actions in supporting Ms Higgins in the aftermath of the sexual assault allegations and working with her to achieve an independent review of Parliament House procedures and protocols certainly paints Credlin in an empathetic light that many would never have thought possible.

It's a shame Credlin's role was only raised in Reynolds' closing submissions as it would have been interesting to hear her view of the conspiracy allegations made against Ms Higgins. But I can well understand why Credlin wanted her role to be kept out of this shitshow - I wonder how she feels now at her role having been revealed?

 

[FIGJAM]

...narrative that Higgins actions were aimed at bringing down the Scott Morrison coalition.

This narrative here from Reynolds' lawyers is as extreme as some of the other extreme narratives spouted by others, such as the 'concerted political cover-up' narrative, or 'the evil Murdoch press always acting against a rape victim' narrative, that is said without irony, despite the fact that the Murdoch press literally broke the story and has now had Credlin and Sky News involved in a positive light.

Extreme or not though, it was and is clear that Sharaz and Higgins acted to weaponise the story politically. I doubt however that they sought to "bring down the government" or Reynolds. IMHO Reynolds and Brown were just cannon fodder for Sharaz and Higgins' deeper motives to 'embellish' the truth.

 

[FIGJAM]

Messages were read out in court showing the pair discussing the senator taking time off work, and talking with journalists about her.

“Linda has delayed her return to work hahah” and “some sh*t Linda you are walking in it,” messages read.

Mr Bennett said the messages “mock the fact the attack initiated on my client has caused her to go on sick leave”.

Also said in the texts that were deleted by Higgins was: ‘Wow she’s done. You don’t take three weeks and come back’.

Like I said from the get go, everyone in this trial will be worse off for its existence and all parties should have nutted this out beforehand. The above interactions are literally heartless.

​

He said Ms Higgins told news.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden “off the record” that she did not think the senator should lose her job.

It had been widely reported in the media that it was no longer tenable for Senator Reynolds to hold the defence ministry.

“Why off the record?” he questioned.

“Did she not want Maiden to publish, we say her genuine honest belief after the allegations she made against Reynolds?” Mr Bennett asked.

Very fair point!

 

[campbell]

omg, LR wants 675,000.

Loading…

www.couriermail.com.au

 

[Zing13]

omg, LR wants 675,000.

Loading…

www.couriermail.com.au

They've put they're french house on the market for A$690k... I wonder how they got to the $675k number like the breakdown of costs

 

[GrayRanga]

omg, LR wants 675,000.

Loading…

www.couriermail.com.au

2 years salary as a Minister of the Crown?

A 1/4 of what Higgins was paid compensation for being sexually assaulted in her workplace, her reputation sullied by every media outlet in this nation and being accused by of lying about the said sexual assault and provoking the sexual assault by dressing provokingly.

A woman who will never be able to work in her chosen career path in this country,

 

[Kurve]

The revelation that SkyNews commentator and Tony Abbott's former CoS Peta Credlin played a key role in advising Brittany Higgins subsequent to her alleged rape in Parliament House surely puts an end to the based narrative that Higgins actions were aimed at bringing down the Scott Morrison coalition.

While not called to give evidence, the tabling of the Higgins-Credlin email conversations over several months backs what Sam Maiden said in court about Higgins' motives being to change the Parliament House culture.

Those conversations revealed yesterday show that Credlin's role included:

- Editing David Sharaz's draft "Brittany Higgins Media Statement" in '21;

- Played mediator to get PM Scott Morrison's full support and leadership for a review of Parliament House procedures; and

- Drafted the Terms of Reference for an independent Parliament House workplace review to be led by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

Credlin's back seat actions in supporting Ms Higgins in the aftermath of the sexual assault allegations and working with her to achieve an independent review of Parliament House procedures and protocols certainly paints Credlin in an empathetic light that many would never have thought possible.

It's a shame Credlin's role was only raised in Reynolds' closing submissions as it would have been interesting to hear her view of the conspiracy allegations made against Ms Higgins. But I can well understand why Credlin wanted her role to be kept out of this shitshow - I wonder how she feels now at her role having been revealed?

I wonder if Reynolds was aware Higgins and Sharaz were taking advice from and working with Peta Credlin.

 

[Underarrest_]

2 years salary as a Minister of the Crown?

A 1/4 of what Higgins was paid compensation for being sexually assaulted in her workplace, her reputation sullied by every media outlet in this nation and being accused by of lying about the said sexual assault and provoking the sexual assault by dressing provokingly.

A woman who will never be able to work in her chosen career path in this country,

I must have missed this.
Who said the sexual assault was provoked because of being dressed provokingly?

 

[Festerz]

I must have missed this.
Who said the sexual assault was provoked because of being dressed provokingly?

Google ‘no underwear’ and Brittany Higgins. It will take you to the court discussion on the matter and you can imagine the vile accusatory commentary on various social media platforms that followed.

I don’t think it needs further discussion in this thread other than to say it highlights the ongoing **** shaming and victim-blaming trolling faced by Ms Higgins and all survivors of sexual assault who dare go public with their accusations.

 

[BFew]

They've put they're french house on the market for A$690k... I wonder how they got to the $675k number like the breakdown of costs

Maybe Reynolds or a proxy for Reynolds is planning to make a $675k offer on the place.

 

[Zing13]

Maybe Reynolds or a proxy for Reynolds is planning to make a $675k offer on the place.

Could you imagine!

 

[Festerz]

I wonder if Reynolds was aware Higgins and Sharaz were taking advice from and working with Peta Credlin.

I imagine the revelation surprised her but that's just a guess.

My question is why she Reynolds chose to table the conversations between Credlin, Sharaz and Higgins given it (imho) actually weakens her political conspiracy allegation? I wonder if she did so to send a blunt public message to Credlin and coalition factional identities opposed to Reynolds about what she now knows? I'm reminded of what Reynolds had to say in the ABC 'Nemesis' series of her time in the Cabinet while Tony Abbott was PM. After all, politicians will always be politicians in the end and point scoring is part of their game.

In fact I'm wondering about the legal relevance of the vast bulk of private text messages referenced by Reynolds in her lawyer's closing address. While they unquestioningly demonstrate huge animosity by Ms Higgins and Sharaz towards Senator Reynolds, I don't think they add anything in terms of proof to the conspiracy allegation (people say horrible things in private about people they dislike all the time - it doesn't serve as proof as a conspiracy to harm). And given they were private txts they are surely of zero relevance to the defamation claim (because they were not 'published'). So why highlight them?

Could it be that Senator Reynolds has used the conspiracy angle to enable her to table those texts for political effect and vengeful retribution as opposed to add weight to the broader defamation action? Will be interesting to see what Justice Tottle makes of the conspiracy allegation, as opposed to the defamation claims.

 

[Underarrest_]

Google ‘no underwear’ and Brittany Higgins. It will take you to the court discussion on the matter and you can imagine the vile accusatory commentary on various social media platforms that followed.

I don’t think it needs further discussion in this thread other than to say it highlights the ongoing **** shaming and victim-blaming trolling faced by Ms Higgins and all survivors of sexual assault who dare go public with their accusations.

Ok I haven’t read the court documents and I don’t need to go there.
There’s no reason for this to ever be said and blaming a victim in any shape or form.

 

[Festerz]

Ok I haven’t read the court documents and I don’t need to go there.
There’s no reason for this to ever be said and blaming a victim in any shape or form.

To be absolutely clear - I don't think any such claims were made in these threads. Nor by anyone associated with Ms Higgins - neither work or political colleagues/associates nor legal representatives of any of the parties involved.

 

[GrayRanga]

I imagine the revelation surprised her but that's just a guess.

My question is why she Reynolds chose to table the conversations between Credlin, Sharaz and Higgins given it (imho) actually weakens her political conspiracy allegation? I wonder if she did so to send a blunt public message to Credlin and coalition factional identities opposed to Reynolds about what she now knows? I'm reminded of what Reynolds had to say in the ABC 'Nemesis' series of her time in the Cabinet while Tony Abbott was PM. After all, politicians will always be politicians in the end and point scoring is part of their game.

In fact I'm wondering about the legal relevance of the vast bulk of private text messages referenced by Reynolds in her lawyer's closing address. While they unquestioningly demonstrate huge animosity between Ms Higgins, Sharaz and Senator Reynolds I don't think they add anything in terms of proof to the conspiracy allegation. And given they were private txts they are surely of zero relevance to the defamation claim. So why highlight them?

Could it be that Senator Reynolds has used the conspiracy angle to enable her to table those texts for political effect and vengeful retribution as opposed to add weight to the broader defamation action? Will be interesting to see what Justice Tottle makes of the conspiracy allegation, as opposed to the defamation claims.

Yes!

Both parties barristers are speaking for effect for the public, not the judge

Supreme Court Judges generally have the ability to cut through the crap and focus on the elements of the case, the evidence, case law and the legislation.

Their decision is subject to appeal, so their decision and the processes to get there will be bullet proof.

He may choose to make comment about the evidence presented, even if he chooses to ignore it

In relation to your later post, a suspended member did make some comments which suggested this

 

[BFew]

My question is why she Reynolds chose to table the conversations between Credlin, Sharaz and Higgins

Answer: Dutton?

 

[BFew]

My question is why she Reynolds chose to table the conversations between Credlin, Sharaz and Higgins

Here's an example from 3 years ago of what appears to be Credlin white anting Reynolds, and bigging up Dutton in the same para at the time of Dutton taking over from Reynolds as the Minister of Defence.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/peta-credlin-powerful-bureaucrats-need-to-be-held-to-account/news-story/a9804cffbd3263ea3b5c087ed559358f

'Peta Credlin: Powerful bureaucrats need to be held to account​

With taxpayer salaries upwards of $900k we need to scrutinise the actions of the faceless bureaucrats who are far more important than most realise, writes Peta Credlin.

Peta Credlin
May 22, 2021 - 7:00PM
...
Department secretaries love ministers who fill their offices with mid-level people from their department, like former defence minister Linda Reynolds who was reported to have at least 12 public servants on her staff. The mark of a minister determined to run the show is confining the public servants to keeping the paper moving – like incoming defence minister, Peter Dutton, who has no more than two departmental liaison officers – and filling the other positions with staff who will keep the pressure on the department to perform, rather than cover for them.
...'

 

[Festerz]

In relation to your later post, a suspended member did make some comments which suggested this

The fact that they were suspended shows a level of integrity from the BF moderation system that I wished existed on other more widely used social media platforms.

Wasn't a participant in the early stages of this saga but looking back on those posts I remain impressed at the responses of posters to calling out the BS victim-blaming trolling. Special call out to BFew in that regard who shut down one poster comprehensively through the most powerful of all tools - facts based ridicule.

 

[Festerz]

Here's an example from 3 years ago of what appears to be Credlin white anting Reynolds, and bigging up Dutton in the same para at the time of Dutton taking over from Reynolds as the Minister of Defence.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/peta-credlin-powerful-bureaucrats-need-to-be-held-to-account/news-story/a9804cffbd3263ea3b5c087ed559358f

'Peta Credlin: Powerful bureaucrats need to be held to account​

With taxpayer salaries upwards of $900k we need to scrutinise the actions of the faceless bureaucrats who are far more important than most realise, writes Peta Credlin.

Peta Credlin
May 22, 2021 - 7:00PM
...
Department secretaries love ministers who fill their offices with mid-level people from their department, like former defence minister Linda Reynolds who was reported to have at least 12 public servants on her staff. The mark of a minister determined to run the show is confining the public servants to keeping the paper moving – like incoming defence minister, Peter Dutton, who has no more than two departmental liaison officers – and filling the other positions with staff who will keep the pressure on the department to perform, rather than cover for them.'

Great find.

Further proof that politics is like organised crime but with legislative backing. There's always payback.

Just a horrific shame and a great injustice that Senator Reynolds has sought to seek her payback by laying the blame for her loss of reputation at the feet of one of her most junior staffers who had been r*ped.

 

[BFew]

Great find.

All I did was google search the "credlin reynolds dutton" and scrolled down looking for media articles from around 3 years ago that might provide some evidence. Took a couple of minutes to find what I was looking for.

 

[BFew]

If Justice Paul Tottle's defamation trial adjudication, uses Reynolds tabling of the Credlin conversations with Higgins/Shiraz, as evidence that Reynolds has a tendency to being vindictive ..... Karma.

 

[BFew]

Things did not appear to go so well for Reynolds and her legal rep today in the summing up in Court.

Brittany Higgins stole Zampatti jacket, Linda Reynolds' lawyer claims

A lawyer for Linda Reynolds has make a stunning accusation against Brittany Higgins regarding the senator's designer jacket.

www.dailymail.co.uk

'...
Mr Bennett told the court it was defamatory of Ms Higgins to say the senator wanted to silence victims of sexual assault.

He said the senator had spoken out about preventing the media from exploiting victims who had made a complaint.

In doing so, the senator pointed to NSW legislation that prevents victims of sexual assault from speaking to the media before a criminal matter is prosecuted.

Mr Bennett told the court no one had said the legislation in NSW was trying to silence victims.

He said it was not a question of silencing victims but rather a complaint should be worked through the criminal justice system.

Justice Paul Tottle interrupted the lawyer, saying the effect of the change in law that was the subject matter of the submission in question, would prevent victims discussing with the media what happened to them.

The judge said the amendment contemplated by the senator would make it a new offence that would prohibit a person, which was close to silence.

Mr Bennett argued the senator's position was to prosecute perpetrators, and not to make it more difficult.
...'

 

[Kurve]

Yes, it does seem rather strange.

Reynolds’ partner, Robert Reid, gave earlier evidence her cardiologist warned “we might lose her” after she was diagnosed with cardiac issues during the “lying cow” reporting.

Bennett said Justice Paul Tottle should dismiss the defence’s claim that Reid’s evidence was false.

“It does seem rather strange that the cardiologist would say that and then the patient [Reynolds] would be discharged into the community,” Justice Tottle said.

Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz put French home up for sale for A$690,000

The house near Bordeaux, which has a pool and is set in more than an acre of land, is being sold to pay legal fees

www.theguardian.com

 

[Underarrest_]

Yes, it does seem rather strange.

Reynolds’ partner, Robert Reid, gave earlier evidence her cardiologist warned “we might lose her” after she was diagnosed with cardiac issues during the “lying cow” reporting.

Bennett said Justice Paul Tottle should dismiss the defence’s claim that Reid’s evidence was false.

“It does seem rather strange that the cardiologist would say that and then the patient [Reynolds] would be discharged into the community,” Justice Tottle said.

Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz put French home up for sale for A$690,000

The house near Bordeaux, which has a pool and is set in more than an acre of land, is being sold to pay legal fees

www.theguardian.com

The argument about the EAP seems a bit of a stretch too. B said in the interview with Maiden that she was told it would be a wait of a month, and seems from the court case that it wasn’t until three weeks later that they contacted her.
The point B was trying to make was that she had to wait for EAP.