Jurors in the trial of the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins will begin a sixth day of deliberations after reaching another day without a verdict.
Bruce Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to non-consensual sex and faces a criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court.
The fifth day of deliberations ended without a result at around 4pm (AEDT) today.
Bruce Lehrmann is on trial for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins. (Alex Ellinghausen)
They will return tomorrow at 10am.
On Tuesday afternoon, after three days and six hours of deliberations, the jury sent a note to the court saying they could not reach a unanimous agreement.
But Chief Justice Lucy McCallum sent them back to the deliberation room, saying experience shows juries can come to a decision if given more time.
“I’m asking you to step down again to see if you can reach a verdict in this trial,” he said.
He said that they should calmly and objectively listen to the opinions of others and try to reach a unanimous decision.
He reminded them that they could not join a verdict if they did not “honestly and genuinely” think it was the right thing to do.
Within minutes, the jury sent another note asking to end the day and return to court with “fresh minds” on Wednesday.
Brittany Higgins is leaving the ACT Supreme Court. (Alex Ellinghausen)
Earlier in the week, the jury asked for “a little extra time” and the chief justice assured them there was no rush.
She instructed jurors to find a verdict based on the evidence presented in the courtroom and said they should not feel pressured into making a decision.
“There’s no rush. There’s no time limit,” he said.
The deliberations followed a 12-day trial where jurors heard from 29 witnesses, including Liberal senators Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash.
Ms Higgins alleges Lehrmann raped her in Senator Reynolds’ parliamentary office when they worked for her as defense industry minister in March 2019. She denies any sexual interaction took place.
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