Brittany Higgins has shared an emotional statement after the jury involved in the trial of Bruce Lehrmann was discharged this morning, without delivering a verdict.
Chief Justice McCallum dismissed the jurors this morning, after it was found that a juror had accessed information that had not been presented as evidence in court. We covered more on why the jury was discharged, here.
Below, we’ve published Higgins’ statement, shared to media outside the courtroom.
“I chose to speak up against rape, speak up against injustice, to speak up and share my experiences with others. I told the truth no matter how uncomfortable or unflattering, to the court.
“Today’s outcome does not change that truth. When I did speak up, I never fully understood how asymmetrical the criminal justice system is but I do now.
“I was required to tell the truth under oath for over a week in the witness stand and was cross-examined at length. He was afforded the choice of staying silent in court, head down in a notebook, completely detached. He never faced one question in court about his story and the criminal charges.
“I was required to surrender my telephones, my passwords, messages, photos and my data to him. He was not required to produce his telephone, his passwords, messages, photos or his data.
“My life has been publicly scrutinised, open for the world to see. His was not. Many of you in the media have been called out for labelling the last few weeks ‘the Higgins trial’. But I don’t blame you because it’s very clear who has been on trial. He hasn’t had to be publicly accountable for his actions or any part of his story.
“This is the reality of how complainants in sexual assault cases are treated. Their lives are torn apart, their friends and families are called to the witness stand and the accused has the legal right to say absolutely nothing.
Higgins went on to say that the “odds are stacked against” victims of sexual violence.
“The criminal justice system has long failed to deliver outcomes to victims of sexual assault.
“Like all women who experience sexual violence, I knew the odds were stacked against me. The criminal justice system has long failed to deliver outcomes to victims of sexual assault.
“In the ACT during 2020, only 16 per cent of sexual offences reported to police resulted in a charge. Only half of that number again resulted in a conviction. That is to our national shame.
Higgins finished her statement by thanking women who have come forward and shared their experiences, as well as her supporters, family, those who attended the March4Justice, Canberra’s healthcare system and the DPP.