A former political adviser accused of raping a colleague inside Australia’s Parliament House has been dismissed.
Bruce Lehrman, 27, has denied sexually assaulting Britney Higgins on the minister’s couch after a night out in 2019.
Mr. Lehrman’s trial was dropped in October due to jury misconduct.
Prosecutors say the ongoing risk to Ms Higgins’ mental health means a retrial is not in the public interest.
Australian Capital Territory Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold said new medical advice found a retrial planned for February posed a “significant and unacceptable risk” to the complainant’s life.
“The evidence makes it clear that this is not limited to the loss of giving evidence in the witness box,” he told reporters on Friday.
Mr Drumgold said it was more than he believed there would be a reasonable prospect of a conviction.
According to her friend Emma Webster, Ms Higgins is currently in hospital to help deal with the trauma and aftermath of the alleged incident.
“The past two years have been difficult and relentless,” Ms Webster said in a statement.
“While it is disappointing that the trial has ended this way, Britney’s health and safety must always come first. Britney is extremely grateful for all the support she has received, especially from our mental health team. from care workers.”
The jury in the October trial was discharged after 12 days of evidence and five days of deliberations, after it emerged that one member had brought in academic research papers looking at false allegations in sexual assault cases.
Juries need only reach a verdict on the evidence presented in the courtroom.
Before giving her account to police in early 2021, Ms Higgins waived her right to anonymity and went public with her claims in high-profile newspaper and television interviews.
Her allegations were a catalyst for what has been called Australia’s “me-too moment”, sparking strong protests over the protection of women in politics in particular.
It also conducted a damning review which found that a third of federal parliamentarians had been sexually harassed.
Mr. Lehrmann and Ms. Higgins worked in the same office – for then-Defense Secretary Linda Reynolds. On 22 March 2019, the two had drinks with colleagues and others in Canberra.
Ms. Higgins told police that she later fell asleep on a couch in Ms. Reynolds’ office and awoke to find Mr. Lehrman having sex with her.
In the days that followed she reported the alleged rape but initially did not pursue her complaint because she feared for her career, a jury heard.
Mr Lehrman chose not to give evidence at the trial, but said in a police interview that what had been alleged was “just not enough”.
Her barrister, Steven Whybrough, argued that parts of Ms Higgins’ evidence were “completely and utterly inconsistent”.
