Belief Beggared

My client has, from the outset, denied not only the alleged assault but also that any sexual activity, of any kind, ever took place. In light of the complexity, difficulty and importance of the task before any jury already, the behaviour of our prime minister and others in this last 24 hours truly beggars belief.”

– Lawyer for the accused in the Brittany Higgins case, Warwick Korn, of Korn Tlais Defence Lawyers, Sydney

Meanwhile… the defamation case against Nine Entertainment that is really an orchestrated case against Ben Roberts-Smith VC – possibly one the publisher of the old Fairfax rags didn’t expect to defend – has disintegrated into a Byzantine, bluff-gone-wrong farce. Memo to Nine’s accountants: buy Mr Roberts-Smith a new house now. Get it over with.

This entry was posted in Federal politics, Rule of law. Bookmark the permalink.

9 Responses to Belief Beggared

  1. C.L. says:

    The lawyer for the accused in the Brittany Higgins matter has said that it is becoming more difficult “by the hour” for his client to receive a fair trial after Ms Higgins repeated her allegations of sexual assault against him in a speech Wednesday at the National Press Club.

    “A fair trial, free of the interference, grandstanding and other improprieties of late, is what the community, Ms Higgins and (the accused) is owed,” said Warwick Korn, partner at Korn Tlais Defence Lawyers in Sydney.

    “The likelihood of this occurring seems to diminish by the hour,” he said.

    Don’t miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.

    The lawyer for the accused in the Brittany Higgins matter has said that it is becoming more difficult “by the hour” for his client to receive a fair trial after Ms Higgins repeated her allegations of sexual assault against him in a speech Wednesday at the National Press Club.

    “A fair trial, free of the interference, grandstanding and other improprieties of late, is what the community, Ms Higgins and (the accused) is owed,” said Warwick Korn, partner at Korn Tlais Defence Lawyers in Sydney.

    “The likelihood of this occurring seems to diminish by the hour,” he said.

    In a statement released in the hours after her speech, in which the former political staffer said that she was raped on a sofa in Parliament House, Mr Korn said that the public attention brought to the matter was harming the cause of justice.

    “(Bruce) Lehrmann has entered a plea of not guilty and the matter is set for trial,” said Mr Korn.

    “Mr Lehrmann voluntarily provided a lengthy interview with investigating police and has followed every protocol asked of him since.”

    “My client has, from the outset, denied not only the alleged assault but also that any sexual activity, of any kind, ever took place.”

    Mr Korn also said that Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s apology to Ms Higgins for the “terrible things that took place here” further threatened his client’s chance for a fair trial.

    On Tuesday, Mr Morrison said he was “sorry to Ms Higgins for the terrible things that took place here.”

    “The place that should have been a place for safety and contribution, turned out to be a nightmare,” Mr Morrison said.

    According to the prime minister, Ms Higgins had “the courage to speak, and so here we are. We are sorry for all of these things, and in doing so, each of us take on accountability for change”.

    Mr Korn said that “in light of the complexity, difficulty and importance of the task before any jury already, the behaviour of our prime minister and others in this last 24 hours truly beggars belief.”

    Mr Lehmann is tentatively set to stand trial in June of this year.

    ———–
    James Morrow (Exclusive) in the Daily Telegraph

  2. Rossini says:

    Spot the difference!
    Scomo…….Brittany Higgins
    Dan the man…….Cardinal Pell

  3. Chris M says:

    buy Mr Roberts-Smith a new house now

    Just give him the network.

  4. rosie says:

    Morrison is an idiot.
    But you already knew that.
    I remember saying something scathing about him at Sincs a couple of years ago.
    Got shredded.
    😆

  5. To me, the lawyer’s position suggests it may have been Brittany who harboured and possibly demonstrated amorous intent, only to have her advances spurned.

  6. Entropy says:

    I suspect that is possible. I would also suggest another possibility is both went there for a purpose, one got cold feet. The other got huffy and left.
    Both were going to get sacked. One did, the other found a get out of gaol card.

  7. Ed Case says:

    Both were going to get sacked. One did, the other found a get out of gaol card.

    Wrong.
    Bruce Lehrmann was not sacked and likely got a very good reference, since he strolled right into a Lobbyist job.
    Brittany Higgins was sent to Coventry and eventually resigned before going public with her story.
    By the way, both left 88mph at around 9 pm and arrived at PH at 1:45 am.
    Nearly 5 hours, enough time to drive to Port Macquarie.
    What happened during that 5 hours?
    I suspect the Prosecution may have asked that question too before they made the decision to action it.

  8. Old Lefty says:

    Morrison’s ‘We believe you’ grandstanding in the national apology may well have tipped the second jury into convicting Pell (that, and the fact that it was 12 December and they were getting worried about their Christmas shopping).

    Hendo reports, btw, that the ABC’s infamous 730 Report program of 2016 publicising the deranged allegations against Pell has quietly vanished from the ABC website, and they won’t comment. (A letter from Richter or Walker, perhaps?)

    Needless to say, there is no hint of an apology, though they are all from apologies from others.

  9. Entropy says:

    He was sacked from a ministerial adviser job. A contact subsequently gave him a job. Higgins was transferred to another Minister’s office.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *