Shane Drumgold resigns: Top prosecutor who led criminal trial against Bruce Lehrmann steps down in wake of the leaked Sofronoff report

Shane Drumgold resigns: Top prosecutor who led criminal trial against Bruce Lehrmann steps down in wake of the leaked Sofronoff report

• Shane Drumgold, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, resigns 
• He has been on paid leave since a Board of Inquiry, in May 

By Charlotte Karp For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 03:25 BST, 6 August 2023 | Updated: 04:13 BST, 6 August 2023

The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold has tendered his resignation and will enter early retirement, reports say.

Mr Drumgold has been on paid leave since May, after he was grilled by a Board of Inquiry into the way Mr Lehrmann’s rape trial was handled by police and prosecutors.

Brittany Higgins alleged Mr Lehrmann, her former colleague, raped her in Parliament House after a night out in 2019 – which he strongly denies.

He was tried in the ACT Supreme Court in October, but the trial was abandoned after a juror brought banned research material into the court. Mr Drumgold then dropped the charge entirely in December due to concerns for Ms Higgins’ mental health.

The inquiry was lead by former Queensland judge Walter Sofronoff, who handed his findings to the ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr on Monday.

Mr Barr had planned on keeping the 600-page report a secret for weeks, but the contents of the report was published on Wednesday night. Two days later, it was revealed Mr Sofronoff leaked the report to two media outlets under embargo. 

The ACT Government is expected to announce Mr Drumgold’s departure on Monday, news.com.au reported. 

The Board of Inquiry was launched after ACT DPP Shane Drumgold (pictured) claimed there was political interference in the investigation into Mr Lehrmann

Brittany Higgins (left) accused Bruce Lehrmann of raping her in Parliament House. He denies the allegations

Mr Drumgold told colleagues he was ‘in absolute shock’ upon hearing the report was leaked by the inquiry’s chairman.

The inquiry began because Mr Drumgold sent a furious letter to ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan calling for the inquiry on November 1, 2022 – a month before Mr Lehrmann’s charge was dropped

In the letter, Mr Drumgold accused police of conspiring not to charge Mr Lehrmann, also asserting that ‘political interference’ hindered the investigation into Ms Higgins’ allegations.

However, under cross-examination during the inquiry in May, Mr Drumgold eventually conceded he was ‘possibly mistaken’ about his conspiracy concern.

Mr Sofronoff found that Mr Drumgold’s allegations were ‘not just incorrect, but wholly false and without any rational basis’, and therefore did not justify calling a public inquiry.

Mr Drumgold claimed it was ‘probable’ there was a wider conspiracy by Australian Federal Police for the charge against Mr Lehrmann (pictured) to be dropped, but backflipped on that claim during the inquiry

On Thursday, Mr Drumgold told News Corp he had not been given a copy of the report and was therefore ‘not in a position to respond’.

Mr Lehrmann has told multiple media outlets he was preparing to sue the ACT government over his prosecution.

‘I’ve instructed my solicitors to prepare a statement of claim against the state,’ he said.

‘I’ve got lawyers that need to be paid, people who have supported me, like my mum and uncle, who need to be supported.

‘I’m not interested in becoming a millionaire, but I do want to perhaps get on with my life and maybe buy a house.’

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