Bruce Lehrmann Inquiry: Walter Sofronoff KC Admits Report About Trial Leaked To Media

The chairman of the ACT Commission of Inquiry that investigated the rape trial of Bruce Lehrmann has admitted to handing his report to journalists before it was given to the Chief Minister, the ACT government has revealed.

Walter Sofronoff KC “gave the government a detailed written explanation of why it chose to release the report to selected journalists before handing it over to the Prime Minister,” a government spokeswoman said, according to the Canberra Times.

It is clear that part of Mr. Sofronoff’s reasoning is that he wanted the media to be able to accurately and thoroughly report on the findings of the inquiry shortly after the report was formally released by the ACT government.

Mr Sofronoff has made no public comments since confirming that he had provided the report to what the ACT government said were “selected media outlets” under an embargo.

The Australian made a substantive report on the report of the committee of inquiry on Wednesday evening.

The newspaper said on Friday it had not violated an embargo and would not reveal the source of the leak.

The ABC also published a story Thursday citing a copy of the report.

The ACT government is facing criticism over the publication of the landmark report in the court system and a potential damages claim for the handling of the case against Mr Lehrmann, an ex-Liberal staffer.

The findings of the inquiry into how the ACT justice system handled Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation against her former colleague will be released next week.

The findings of the inquiry into how the ACT justice system handled Brittany Higgins’s (left) rape allegation against her former colleague Mr Lehrmann will be released next week

The government said the leaking of the report to the media, which led to widespread early coverage of the findings, had “influenced the investigative process and harmed those involved.”

Shane Drumgold, ACT’s Director of Public Prosecutions, who was reportedly criticized in the findings, said he did not receive the report.

Mr Lehrmann told multiple media outlets that he was preparing to sue the ACT government over his prosecution.

“I have instructed my lawyers to prepare a statement of claim against the state,” he said.

“I have lawyers who need to be paid, people who have supported me, like my mother and uncle, who need to be supported.

“I’m not interested in becoming a millionaire, but I might want to get on with my life and maybe buy a house.”

Mr Lehrmann was accused of raping Ms Higgins in Parliament House after a night out in 2019, but he has always denied the allegations.

His trial was aborted in October due to juror misconduct and prosecutors later dropped the charges over fears of the impact of a second trial on Ms Higgins’ mental health.

Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) told multiple media outlets he was preparing to sue the ACT government over his persecution

ACT Liberal leader Elizabeth Lee said there was a legal obligation for people with negative findings made against them in a report to be notified.

But she called on the government to release the report immediately after the announcement of its findings.

“If there are any negative findings in this report, affected people should have already known,” Ms Lee said.

Opposition frontman Simon Birmingham complained about how the matter had been ‘politicised’.

“That’s where the ACT government, from this latest report, really needs to make sure they tackle it comprehensively,” he said.

‘And ensure that they give people much more confidence in the future to do what is ultimately the right thing, which is to report the crime, and that in the first place to the police.’

Mr Drumgold has taken leave until the end of the month while the government considers the findings.