“Regrettably and with gritted teeth,I have concluded that the trial date of 27 June,towards which the parties have been carefully steering,should be vacated,” she said.
Bruce Lehrmann,also a former Liberal staffer,has pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual intercourse without consent,relating to an alleged incident in Parliament House in 2019.
A further hearing will be held on Thursday to determine when a new trial date can be set. Crown prosecutor Shane Drumgold indicated to the judge he would probably also ask the court to grant a non-publication order over the proceedings.
The court heard Drumgold had met with Wilkinson on June 15 to discuss evidence she would give at the trial. At the end of that meeting,Wilkinson flagged she had been nominated for a Logie for her reporting of Higgins’ allegation and that she had prepared a speech.
Drumgold warned her that further publicity around the case could lead to the trial being delayed.
“Notwithstanding that clear and appropriate warning,upon receiving the award Ms Wilkinson gave a speech in which she openly referred to and praised the complainant in the present trial,” McCallum said.