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Now COPS are under investigation for the Bruce Lehrmann case: Bombshell in the Brittany Higgins saga after it was revealed that she felt ‘harassed’ by officers.
- Australian Law Enforcement Integrity Commission to review police conduct
- ACT director of public prosecution Shane Drumgold said Ms Higgins felt intimidated
- The claims police wanted a successful outcome for the defense of the accused Mr. Lehrmann
- Police union criticized Mr Drumgold’s office, will support judicial inquiry
- Lehrmann pleaded not guilty and strongly denied the charges against him.
- ACT Supreme Court trial derailed by jury misconduct in October
The Commonwealth Law Enforcement Integrity Agency will investigate how police investigators handled Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation.
ACT’s director of public prosecution, Shane Drumgold, raised concerns about “police and political conduct” in the case of former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann, who Ms Higgins says raped her at Parliament House in 2019.
Lehrmann has always strenuously denied the allegations.
ACT Attorney General Shane Rattenbury confirmed the matter had been referred to the Australian Law Enforcement Integrity Commission for further investigation.
Commonwealth law enforcement integrity agency to investigate how police investigators handled Brittany Higgins rape allegation
ACT director of public prosecution Shane Drumgold has raised concerns about “police conduct” in the case of former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann, accused of having raped Ms Higgins.
“I am aware that the matter has been referred to the Australian Law Enforcement Integrity Commission. As such, it is not appropriate to comment further at this time,” it said in a statement.
The police union previously criticized Mr Drumgold’s office for criticizing the Australian Federal Police and ACT Policing who investigated the matter.
In a statement, Australian Federal Police Association president Alex Caruana said the union “wholeheartedly” supported a judicial inquiry into Lehrmann’s trial.
But he said “desperate attempts” to smear police forces by the territory’s top prosecutor were unproven and the subject of an internal investigation.
In a document released under freedom of information laws, Drumgold wrote that police had engaged in a campaign to pressure him not to prosecute Lehrmann on the Higgins accusation.
On Thursday, The Guardian reported that Drumgold sent a letter to ACT Police Chief Neil Gaughan on November 1 outlining concerns about police conduct.
“I am of the opinion that at the conclusion of the trial, there should be a public inquiry into the political and police conduct in this matter,” Drumgold wrote.
But Caruana said the union “strongly believes” that the ACT DPP compromised Lehrmann’s trial.
The police union previously criticized Mr Drumgold’s office for criticizing the Australian Federal Police and ACT Policing who investigated the matter.
He said any investigation must also look at the conduct of Mr Drumgold, his office, the ACT Commissioner for Victims of Crime and Mr Rattenbury.
He also questioned whether the information obtained by The Guardian had been deliberately leaked by Mr Drumgold’s office.
“The FOI from the ACT DPP to The Guardian, to the best of our knowledge, is redaction-free and includes personal details of the officers involved in the investigation,” he said.
‘ACT Policing was not consulted on the release of information and details of its members.’
ACT Policing said it was aware that the DPP’s Office had released the letter, noting that the DPP had requested a public inquiry into the matter.
“As such, it would be inappropriate to provide further comment in relation to any aspect of this matter, including comment on the ACT DPP letter,” a spokesperson said on Thursday.
Mr Caruana said the union intended to lodge a formal complaint with the Australian Information Commission and the ACT Ombudsman about the possible breach of the ILO and the alleged “misconduct of the Director of Public Prosecutions”.
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