After ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold, SC, announced he was discontinuing the case against Lehrmann on December 2, the ACT government launched a review into the handling of the case, which was partly spurred by a public breakdown in the relationship between the police and the DPP.
Loading
Drumgold has accused the police of using the wrong test to charge people with sexual assault, of undercharging across sexual assault matters in the ACT, and of holding outdated views regarding the behaviour of victims making allegations of sexual assault.
He has told the inquiry the police involved in the investigation held “passionate” views against the ongoing prosecution.
ACT Policing Detective Superintendent Scott Moller, who led the team investigating Lehrmann, told the inquiry on Wednesday he was a survivor of sexual assault, an experience that had driven his attitude to policing.
The detective said it was offensive to hear allegations about rape myths being directed at police “because I’ve lived with that, and it’s difficult”.
“To have that experience and to be continually moving forward, working with the community trying to resolve those issues, as dedicated as I am and the other police are in ACT Policing, it’s disappointing to hear that there’s an inference that we’re not working as hard as we can to solve those matters, to move forward with those matters to have them prosecuted,” he said.
The inquiry continues.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.
