If you have been living under a rock in Australia you may not have realised that the trial into the allegations of rape made by Brittany Higgins had commenced against Burce Lerhmann on 4 October 2022. And as far as trials went, it was messy. Ms Higgins gave evidence that was not without inconsistencies. And Mr Lerhman played the very smart game of exercising his right to silence.

However, the trial was aborted on October 27, 2022 due to juror misconduct which had the frustrating consequence for all sides that no verdict was ever reached. It was expected there would be a second trial, but remarkably, on December 2, 2022, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions announced that the charges against Lehrmann would not be pursued further.

Good juries in complex matters are hard to find.