Page:Lehrmann v Network Ten Pty Limited (Trial Judgment).pdf/37

 utility in circumstances where: (a) this was a judge-alone trial; and (b) that subject to submissions to the contrary, I considered it would be appropriate to direct myself as to the impact of alleged counterintuitive conduct in a manner consistent with some foundational propositions referred to in the proposed evidence which, it seemed to me, simply reflected the accumulated experience of the common law (seen in standard directions) or in ordinary human experience.

117 Sensibly, both parties agreed, and it became unnecessary to deal with admissibility or discretionary exclusion issues, as the following became common ground as agreed facts pursuant to s 191 EA (Agreed Facts dated 18 December 2023 (agreed facts)):


 * (1) trauma has a severe impact on memory by splintering and fragmenting memories; such that semantic or meaning elements become separated from emotion; and interfering with the timespan memories require to consolidate and become permanent;


 * (2) due to the potential for cuing of emotional responses to fragmented memories, memory can change, be subject to reconsolidation effects, and even when these effects are not marked initially, memories may remain labile for some time (thus changes in what the person reports as their memory of an event can be expected);


 * (3) lack of clarity and confused accounts can be expected until such time as the memory has consolidated;


 * (4) inconsistencies in reporting following a traumatic event are often observed and explicable through underlying theories of trauma and memory function;


 * (5) omissions can be understood as alterations in awareness due to high arousal at the time of the event that consolidate over time;


 * (6) inconsistency is often observed in reliable reports of sexual assault and is not ipso facto a measure of deception;


 * (7) in understanding the account of an alleged "survivor", a person must consider how that account was elicited; this includes the skill and attitudes towards the person by the investigating officers; the time elapsed between the traumatic event and the formal interview; and the psychological/emotional state of the person being interviewed at the time of interview;


 * (8) the first forensic interview is potentially a trigger for intrusive thoughts that can lead to fragmentation of memory and dissociation; patterns of behaviour such as high Lehrmann v Network Ten Pty Limited (Trial Judgment) [2024] FCA 369