Historic sexual assault charge against former Dubbo mayor Ben Shields dropped

Former Dubbo mayor Ben Shields was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man while he was a councillor in 2003.was facing trial in Parramatta District Court,

Today Crown prosecutor Andrew Issacs told Judge Huw Baker that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had decided that there would be "no further proceedings" against Mr Shields."As you can see Mr Shields is no longer sitting in the dock," Judge Baker told the jury on Thursday.Mr Shields' defence barrister, Margaret Cunneen, made an application to award costs.

Mr Shields was an active member of the Liberal party while serving on Dubbo council from the age of 18 in 1999 and became mayor of the city in 2017.The charges followed a months-long investigation by police after a report was filed in November 2021, when the complainant saw a social media video made by then-Dubbo mayor Stephen Lawrence.

The alleged victim told the jury he was invited to a backyard barbecue by Mr Shields's partner and caught the train to Dubbo that day.

Dubbo Regional Council Stephen Lawrence NSW District Court Dubbo Mayor Ben Shields Ben Shields Sexual Assault Case Ben Shields Charges Ben Shields Charges Dropped

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