Jurors in the trial of the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins are entering a fifth day of deliberations after being instructed by a judge to keep trying to find a verdict.
Bruce Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and is facing a criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court.
On Tuesday afternoon, following three days and six hours of deliberations, the jury sent a note to the court indicating they were unable to reach a unanimous agreement.
But Chief Justice Lucy McCallum sent them back to the deliberation room, saying experience shows juries are able to reach a decision if given more time.
“I ask you to retire again to see if you can reach a verdict in this trial,” she said.
She said they must calmly and objectively listen to each other’s opinions and try to reach a unanimous decision.
She reminded them they could not join in a verdict if they did not “honestly and genuinely” think it was the correct one.
Within minutes, the jury sent another note asking to finish for the day and return to court with “fresh minds” on Wednesday.
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Earlier in the week, the jury asked for “a little extra time” and the chief justice assured them there was no rush.
She instructed the jurors to find a verdict according to the evidence presented in the courtroom and said they should not feel pressured to make a decision.
“There’s no rush. There’s no time limit,” she 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 the parliamentary office of Senator Reynolds when they worked for her as defence industry minister in March 2019. He denies any sexual interaction happened.
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