Some comments about the case involving Bruce Lehrmann and Channel 10

On its importance as a public event

It has been interesting over the last few days to see how people have responded to the ruling in the case involving Bruce Lehrmann and Channel Ten. It is one of those moments where it is worth reflecting on what went right.

The relief felt that Lehrmann had been found guilty of rape was no doubt heightened by the fact that such verdicts are rare. As well, Justice Michael Lee’s summation was exhaustive and gave voice to arguments generally ignored. Nonetheless, the verdict needs to be contextualised against the backdrop of a system that routinely traumatises women after the trauma of the initial crime.

As Saxon Mullins, Director of Advocacy at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy (RASARA), explained in this excellent piece, relief at the verdict is tempered “[because] while some people had countdowns and shared public excitement about watching the proceedings, there are those of us that know better. Those who remember there is a real person who was put on trial, whose whole life…