Top prosecutor resigns after shock report

August 6, 2023

Shane Drumgold has resigned from his position as the ACT’s chief prosecutor after a damning report supposedly found he had lied to the Supreme Court.

The Sofronoff inquiry – which investigated the handling of the rape trial against former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann – found the Director of Public Prosecutions had improperly questioned senator Linda Reynolds during the trial, amongst other wrongdoings.

The findings of the inquiry were handed to the ACT government on Monday, and are not expected to be formally released until the end of the month, but a copy of the 600-page report was leaked to The Australian newspaper.

Mr Drumgold has been on leave since May.

In a statement on Sunday, ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said he had a conversation with Mr Drumgold after the media reports surfaced.

“I can confirm that on Friday, Mr Drumgold sent a letter advising me that he would be vacating his position as ACT Director of Public Prosecutions,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“I can also confirm Mr Drumgold has been provided a full copy of the Board of Inquiry Report.

“The ACT Government will make a detailed statement in response to the Sofronoff Report early in the coming week.”

According to the newspaper’s reports, the full extent of the findings will spell out Mr Drumgold’s conduct before, during, and after the trial, including public comments he made in support of Ms Higgins’ last year.

The article said the report found Mr Drumgold to have lied to the Supreme Court over a note made about a meeting with Lisa Wilkinson before she made a speech at the Logies in June 2022 – which resulted in the trial being postponed.

The report also found evidence of unethical conduct by Mr Drumgold, including his use of a note concerning a discussion he had with Wilkinson days before her speech.

The article asserts the findings against Mr Drumgold were so serious that Walter Sofronoff KC considered whether he should invite Mr Drumgold to make a submission as to whether he was the right person to hold that position.

Mr Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting his former colleague Brittany Higgins in the Parliament House office of their then-boss Senator Reynolds, in March 2019.

The trial was aborted in October due to juror misconduct, and Mr Drumgold ruled out a retrial in December, citing concerns over Ms Higgins’ mental health.

Mr Lehrmann maintains his innocence.

Originally published as Shane Drumgold resigns as ACT top prosecutor after damning inquiry

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