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Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Lehrmann pushes to stop rape trial
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has taken a dramatic step to halt his upcoming rape trial, filing an application that alleges police unlawfully recorded conversations with his legal team. The 29-year-old former Liberal Party staffer was charged with two counts of rape over an alleged incident in Toowoomba in October 2021. Mr Lehrmann's Sydney-based lawyer, Zali Burrows, lodged a fresh application in the Toowoomba District Court on Monday, requesting a permanent stay of proceedings. It followed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) filing an affidavit last Friday that the defence argues failed to include all relevant material in the case. Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been charged with two counts of rape. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia The matter was briefly mentioned in the Ipswich District Court on Wednesday, as the Toowoomba District Court was not sitting. Mr Lehrmann and Ms Burrows both appeared via phone. The permanent stay application stems from allegations that police unlawfully recorded phone calls with Mr Lehrmann's lawyer. According to the defence, an officer failed to initially disclose six items, including four audio recordings of conversations between her and Mr Lehrmann's former legal representative, two recordings involving the alleged victim, and one with a witness. Judge Dennis Lynch ordered all material the parties intend to rely on, including affidavits and written submissions, to be filed by July 14 for the applicant and July 21 for the respondent. He adjourned the case to the previously scheduled date of July 25 when the permanent stay application will be heard alongside a separate defence application for full disclosure of police material. Mr Lehrmann's lawyer Zali Burrows said the prosecution failed to initially disclose six items. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia While Queensland law permits individuals to record conversations they are a party to, NSW law, where all of Mr Lehrmann's legal representatives are based, requires consent from all parties or specific exemptions. In May, Ms Burrows lodged an application seeking full disclosure of all material in the Queensland Police Service's possession. The ODPP's affidavit filed last week was in response to that request. If the permanent stay application succeeds, the rape charges against Mr Lehrmann could be dropped. Mr Lehrmann's bail was formally extended, and the matter is scheduled to be heard on July 25 at the Toowoomba District Court. He has indicted that he will defend the charges but is yet to enter any pleas.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lehrmann pushes to stop rape trial
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has taken a dramatic step to halt his upcoming rape trial, filing an application that alleges police unlawfully recorded conversations with his legal team. The 29-year-old former Liberal Party staffer was charged with two counts of rape over an alleged incident in Toowoomba in October 2021. Mr Lehrmann's Sydney-based lawyer, Zali Burrows, lodged a fresh application in the Toowoomba District Court on Monday, requesting a permanent stay of proceedings. It followed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) filing an affidavit last Friday that the defence argues failed to include all relevant material in the case. The matter was briefly mentioned in the Ipswich District Court on Wednesday, as the Toowoomba District Court was not sitting. Mr Lehrmann and Ms Burrows both appeared via phone. The permanent stay application stems from allegations that police unlawfully recorded phone calls with Mr Lehrmann's lawyer. According to the defence, an officer failed to initially disclose six items, including four audio recordings of conversations between her and Mr Lehrmann's former legal representative, two recordings involving the alleged victim, and one with a witness. Judge Dennis Lynch ordered all material the parties intend to rely on, including affidavits and written submissions, to be filed by July 14 for the applicant and July 21 for the respondent. He adjourned the case to the previously scheduled date of July 25 when the permanent stay application will be heard alongside a separate defence application for full disclosure of police material. While Queensland law permits individuals to record conversations they are a party to, NSW law, where all of Mr Lehrmann's legal representatives are based, requires consent from all parties or specific exemptions. In May, Ms Burrows lodged an application seeking full disclosure of all material in the Queensland Police Service's possession. The ODPP's affidavit filed last week was in response to that request. If the permanent stay application succeeds, the rape charges against Mr Lehrmann could be dropped. Mr Lehrmann's bail was formally extended, and the matter is scheduled to be heard on July 25 at the Toowoomba District Court. He has indicted that he will defend the charges but is yet to enter any pleas.
News.com.au
11 hours ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Bruce Lehrmann's lawyer alleges unlawful police recordings in bid to stop trial
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has taken a dramatic step to halt his upcoming rape trial, filing an application that alleges police unlawfully recorded conversations with his legal team. The 29-year-old former Liberal Party staffer was charged with two counts of rape over an alleged incident in Toowoomba in October 2021. Mr Lehrmann's Sydney-based lawyer, Zali Burrows, lodged a fresh application in the Toowoomba District Court on Monday, requesting a permanent stay of proceedings. It followed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) filing an affidavit last Friday that the defence argues failed to include all relevant material in the case. The matter was briefly mentioned in the Ipswich District Court on Wednesday, as the Toowoomba District Court was not sitting. Mr Lehrmann and Ms Burrows both appeared via phone. The permanent stay application stems from allegations that police unlawfully recorded phone calls with Mr Lehrmann's lawyer. According to the defence, an officer failed to initially disclose six items, including four audio recordings of conversations between her and Mr Lehrmann's former legal representative, two recordings involving the alleged victim, and one with a witness. Judge Dennis Lynch ordered all material the parties intend to rely on, including affidavits and written submissions, to be filed by July 14 for the applicant and July 21 for the respondent. He adjourned the case to the previously scheduled date of July 25 when the permanent stay application will be heard alongside a separate defence application for full disclosure of police material. While Queensland law permits individuals to record conversations they are a party to, NSW law, where all of Mr Lehrmann's legal representatives are based, requires consent from all parties or specific exemptions. In May, Ms Burrows lodged an application seeking full disclosure of all material in the Queensland Police Service's possession. The ODPP's affidavit filed last week was in response to that request. If the permanent stay application succeeds, the rape charges against Mr Lehrmann could be dropped. Mr Lehrmann's bail was formally extended, and the matter is scheduled to be heard on July 25 at the Toowoomba District Court. He has indicted that he will defend the charges but is yet to enter any pleas.
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Sky News AU
Bruce Lehrmann calls for Toowoomba rape charges to be thrown out after discovering police illegally bugged lawyer's phone calls
Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has called for his rape charges to be thrown out after discovering police may have illegally bugged his lawyer's phone calls. His lawyer, Zali Burrows, lodged the application on Monday with the Toowoomba District Court which included a request for a permanent stay on criminal proceedings, according to the Daily Telegraph. Lehrmann could have his rape charges dropped and the case thrown out if his request is successful. He is accused of raping a woman twice after meeting at a strip club in October, 2021. According to the outlet, the application was lodged in response to an affidavit filed on Friday by the practice manager at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). In the affidavit, the public prosecutor learned last Wednesday that the arresting officer in Lehrmann's case, Detective Senior Constable Ashlee Ryder, had six items in her possession that were not originally provided by the ODPP as part of the brief evidence. The items included audio recordings between Detective Ryder and a witness, Lehrmann's former legal representative, and the alleged victim who cannot be named for legal reasons. Ms Burrow's application called for a declaration that the intercepted phone calls between Lehrmann's lawyers and the Queensland Police Force were 'illegally obtained'. Detective Ryder was also in possession of a further addendum from the alleged victim, which had been drafted but not signed, which included Lehrmann's Snapchat logins, emails between the alleged victim and Detective Ryder, as well as other documents which were not provided in the brief to the public prosecutor. The affidavit said Detective Ryder 'confirmed' she was not in possession of anything which could be 'reasonably considered to be adverse to the reliability or credibility of a proposed witness for the prosecution'. Police must disclose all relevant material collected in an investigation to prosecutors. While Queensland law allows private conversations to be recorded by a participating individual without the consent of others involved, Lehrmann's lawyers had been based in NSW where such laws differ. The ODPP said it will make a decision on whether all material provided by Detective Ryder should be disclosed. Lehrmann is expected to fight the rape allegations and his lawyer has called for an urgent directions hearing in the coming days.
Zawya
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Uganda: Members of Parliament decline Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) requests citing political interference
Legislators on the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs have rejected a proposal from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to avail funds for the Inspections and Quality Assurance Department citing political interference and poor performance. The legislators were interfacing with officials from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on Tuesday, 01 April 2025 as theyto scrutinised the DPP's ministerial policy statement. The DDP is established under Article 120 of the Constitution and is responsible for instituting criminal proceedings in all courts with competent jurisdiction, except the Court Martial. Erute County South Member of Parliament, Hon. Jonathan Odur called for accountability from the DPP regarding case management. He demanded for an audit of the files the office had received, sanctioned and recommended for further investigation or closed. 'We have one case that is already in the public domain; RtCol. Dr. Kizza Besigye and his co-accused. When are you going to prosecute that matter instead of repeatedly requesting more time under the guise of further investigations? You already sanctioned their files, meaning you were satisfied with the evidence. Give us an update, along with other pending cases,' Odur said. Odur criticised the DPP for prosecuting people without sufficient evidence. 'Do you understand what it means for someone who is innocent, yet you still proceed with the case despite clear evidence showing there's no solid ground for prosecution? Do you realise the harm you cause such individuals?' he asked. He added that the DPP with its stipulated constitutional independence has failed to check what he termed as excesses from the Executive. 'For this reason, I reject the budget proposal for the Inspection and Quality Assurance Department. What inspections have you carried out to ensure your prosecutors adhere to professional conduct?' he added. Soroti District Woman MP, Hon. Anna Adeke questioned the prosecutors for taking instructions from government security operatives. 'What business do your prosecutors have in taking orders from RDCs, DISOs, etc? Your office is being used for all the wrong reasons,' she said. West Budama North East MP, Hon. Fox Odoi-Oywelowo condemned the DPP's poor performance citing findings from the 11th Annual Report on the State of Equal Opportunities for the 2023/2024 financial Principal Policy Analyst at the ODPP, Viola Tucungwirwe pledged to address the issues raised by the MPs and petitioned them to consider supporting their funding requests. She emphasised the need for resources to recruit state attorneys and non-legal officers, improve communication and strengthen the DPP's operational units. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
