Bruce Lehrmann’s ‘urgent medical issues’ prevented him from attending court, lawyer says
Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann did not attend court to face car theft charges due to “urgent medical issues”, a court has been told.
The 30-year-old is accused of stealing a Toyota Prado on November 20 last year.
Police allege the offence took place in Mountain River, a small village about a half-hour drive west of Hobart, and Mr Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The case was due before Hobart Magistrates Court on Thursday, but neither Mr Lehrmann nor his high-profile Sydney criminal lawyer Zali Burrows attended in person.
This led to Magistrate Robert Webster issuing an arrest warrant for Mr Lehrmann which could be triggered if he doesn’t appear in person at a later hearing.
In an email to the court, made public on Friday, Ms Burrows said her client required urgent medical attention.
“Mr Lehrmann is not available today due to urgent medical issues/tests,” Ms Burrows emailed the Magistrates Court Registry at 8.22am on Thursday.
The email was sent about one hour and 40 minutes before Mr Lehrmann was required to appear in court.
When the case came before Magistrate Robert Webster, Ms Burrows said: “Mr Lehrmann will have a medical certificate for today.”
‘Intense public ridicule’
Court staff told NewsWire that, as of 11am on Friday, no such certificate has been sent in.
On February 19 this year, Ms Burrows wrote to the Hobart Magistrates Court asking for her client not to be forced to appear in person.
“Bruce Lehrmann suffers from mental health issues and is subject to intense public ridicule and scrutiny and respectfully requests he can appear by phone in (sic) instead when he will not have the support of his lawyer attending court.”
Ms Burrows requested that medical documents detailing his mental health issues be sealed – a request that was granted.
On Thursday, the car stealing charge was adjourned to December 4, with Mr Webster telling Ms Burrows she would need to attend in person, along with Mr Lehrmann, whose warrant will lie on file.
Originally published as Bruce Lehrmann’s ‘urgent medical issues’ prevented him from attending court, lawyer says
