Key facts
- Bruce Lehrmann's bid to obtain all footage from the documentary "Silenced" was rejected.
Bruce Lehrmann has lost a legal bid to access footage from a documentary featuring Brittany Higgins, which he sought ahead of his Queensland rape trial. A judge ruled the material was not relevant to the upcoming proceedings.
The ruling prevents Lehrmann from potentially using the documentary's content to influence his upcoming trial, upholding the principle that legal processes should not be used to preemptively influence jury pools or suppress media related to survivor testimonies.
Former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been unsuccessful in his attempt to obtain copies of all footage from the documentary "Silenced," which features Brittany Higgins. Lehrmann had sought the material, including unused "b-roll" footage, ahead of his upcoming rape trial in Queensland, potentially to seek an injunction to prevent its broadcast.
Judge Deborah Richards ruled on Monday to set aside Lehrmann's subpoena, stating that the requested material was not currently relevant to the trial and lacked a legitimate forensic purpose. Stranger Than Fiction Films, the company behind "Silenced," had argued that the subpoena constituted an abuse of process, as the documentary does not reference Lehrmann's trial and is already being screened.
Lehrmann's solicitor, Zali Burrows, had argued that the footage might be prejudicial to potential jurors, potentially reminding them of his prior court cases. However, the film's barrister, Dauid Sibtain, countered that Lehrmann's previous legal matters had already received extensive media coverage. Lehrmann is scheduled to stand trial from November 2, accused of raping a woman in regional Queensland in 2021. He has indicated he will contest the charges. Stranger Than Fiction Films has requested costs from Lehrmann.
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