An ex-weatherman for Channel 10 has intensified his criticism of Lisa Wilkinson by tweeting a profane rant over her infamous Logies address.
Tim Bailey tweeted in reference to the contentious The Project presenter, “Just collect your F-ing tiny prize and F go!”
And unlike his post from Tuesday night, which he promptly removed, Bailey has left this statement up on the social media platform Twitter.
In the preceding comment, news anchor Sandra Sully and Sunrise presenter Natalie Barr joined the pile-on after Bailey attacked his former coworker and called her a “big head.”
Bailey said in his now-deleted previous message, “Hey Lisa, pull ya head in.” Its enormous skull makes me aware that this might be challenging. But kindly try.
Bruce Lehrmann, the alleged rapist of Higgins, was given a temporary reprieve on Monday by the ACT Supreme Court after his attorney claimed that a jury trial would be “untenable” in light of Wilkinson’s speech’s coverage.
Justice McCallum argued before the ACT Supreme Court that Lehrmann’s right to a fair trial had been compromised by recent media attention.
Accordingly, the issue has received a level of media attention that, while not unique, is unquestionably extraordinary, she said on Tuesday.
“Prolonged media coverage of alleged criminal activity is not malicious in and of itself.
What could cause trouble is if the criminal case is impacted by media coverage of these issues.
While jurors can be instructed to lessen bias, according to Justice McCallum, this case was unique since Wilkinson was a crucial witness.
The judge stated that she wanted the trial to take place this year, but no date has been assigned. An October listing would likely give enough time for the hype to die down.
The judge criticized Wilkinson’s remarks, saying it “totally erased” the distinction between an accusation and a conviction.
For her coverage of Ms. Higgins’ allegation that she was raped in Parliament House, Wilkinson was awarded a Logie.
Steve Whybrow, Lehrmann’s attorney, said, “Your honor, this speech did not need to be made.”
Following Tuesday’s statement by Wilkinson, Mr. Whybrow filed the request for a stay.
According to him, the only option to allow for a fair trial so that “adverse publicity can disperse” is a temporary stay, which is simply a postponement.
In his words, “I submit that it is untenable for a trial to be held at this time under these conditions.”
The media’s coverage of Wilkinson’s comments was criticized by Justice McCallum.
The difference between an accusation and a finding of guilt has been completely erased on Sunday and Monday, which worries me the most about this most recent round, she added.
“Wilkinson’s speech”s unstated premise is to “praise the truthfulness of the story she disclosed.”
Despite a man having been found guilty in Ms. Tame’s case, she continued, the public had associated Ms. Higgins’ allegation with the work of the former Australian of the Year.
Grace Tame was speaking about her experience following the man’s conviction and completion of his prison term, according to Justice McCallum.
‘(Ms Tame’s) important contribution to the legal landscape was to say ‘the jury knows what he did, the public knows what he did, but I can’t talk about it because of the law that prohibits me outing myself’.
‘Ms Higgins is treated as being in the same category. And she’s not,’ the judge said.
‘At the moment, she is not in that category. That’s what really troubles me about the last round.’
The Crown had opposed the temporary stay, arguing the application did not outline a significant enough risk to the jury that couldn’t be overcome by orders made by the judge.
The Crown had challenged the interim stay, contending that the application had not sufficiently demonstrated a risk to the jury that could not be mitigated by judicial restrictions.
The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, told the court: “The test most suitable… is a genuine and substantial possibility that, despite the trial judge’s efforts, there will be members of the jury who will have prejudged guilt maybe unknowingly and that cannot be repaired.”
We acknowledge a substantial change, but the application as it stands does not give rise to a temporary stay.
Wilkinson would testify during the trial, it was informed to the Supreme Court.
On Monday, Mr. Drumgold said that Ms. Wilkinson had previously expressed similar things and that the Logies address was a “regurgitation” of passion.
In essence, Ms. Wilkinson’s remarks, according to Justice McCallum, amounted to her stating, “Not only do I believe her, but she’s brave and extraordinary and she’s the most significant thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m proud of bringing forth her complaint.”
We are aware of the accused’s taped interview, in which he flatly denies any sexual conduct ever occurred, she continued.
Justice McCallum rejected a prior request for a stay in April, stating that she was unconvinced that instructions given to the jury could not allay worries about Lehrmann’s prejudice.
The second application, according to Mr. Drumgold, amounted to “a re-agitation of that order.”
After Lehrmann’s attorney withdrew days before the trial, the case-start date was pushed back from June 6 to June 27.