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Lawyers for Mr Heydon told theHerald/Age on Monday that"any allegation of predatory
behaviour or breaches of the law is categorically denied".
"If any conduct of his has caused offence,that result was inadvertent and unintended,and he apologises for any offence caused. We have asked the High Court to convey that directly to the Associate complainants."
They added that Mr Heydon"denies emphatically any allegation of sexual harassment or any offence".
The revelations of the Court's investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Mr Heydon have sparked a national debate about sexual harassment in the legal industry and continue to reverberate through the legal profession.
A group of the most senior female barristers in NSW have lodged a complaint with the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner,following allegations of sexual harassment and indecent assault against Mr Heydon. The 14 silks took their action following the revelation in theHerald that a High Court investigation found Mr Heydon had sexually harassed six former associates of the court. None of the female barristers making the complaint allege they themselves were the subject of inappropriate behaviour by Mr Heydon.
The statutory body,which acts as the professional watchdog,has powers to investigate Mr Heydon's alleged misconduct. It can determine whether Mr Heydon is a"fit and proper person"under the official admission rules for the legal profession. It can also take disciplinary action against a barrister,or commence disciplinary proceedings in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. In the most serious cases,a practitioner can be disbarred.
Complaints to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner are confidential.
The move came as the NSW Bar Association president Tim Game SC released a strongly-worded message warning"barristers who engage in sexual harassment can be investigated and disciplined for professional misconduct".
High Court Chief Justice Susan Kiefel said the findings of the independent report were of"extreme concern"to her and she and her fellow judges were"ashamed that this could have happened at the High Court of Australia".
A widerHerald/Ageinvestigation has uncovered multiple further allegations against Mr Heydon from women,both here and in the United Kingdom.
Some of the more serious allegations,including one from a judge and another from Noor Blumer,a former president of the ACT Law Society,involve accusations of indecent assault.
The judge told theHerald/Age that Mr Heydon slid his hand between her thighs at a professional law dinner not long after he joined the High Court bench.
"He indecently assaulted me. I have no doubt it was a crime and he knew I was not consenting,"she said.
Ms Blumer reported Mr Heydon started"feeling up the side of my leg"at a 2013 law ball and later tried to forcibly kiss her.
London barrister Elizabeth Houghton reported Mr Heydon felt her upper thigh at a restaurant in Oxford in 2014.
Mr Heydon was first admitted to the bar in 1973. He was appointed to the NSW Court of Appeal in 2000,and to the High Court in 2003,where he served for 10 years.
On retirement from the bench,Mr Heydon returned to the NSW bar,and currently has chambers at Eight Selborne,a ritzy practice in Phillip Street,Sydney.
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The barristers'call for an investigation into Mr Heydon's alleged inappropriate conduct comes as growing questions are being asked in legal circles about who was aware of the judge's behaviour.
Following criticism its original statement on the Heydon allegations was"too tepid"according to one senior female silk,Mr Game released his statement"to send a clear message"on sexual harassment and to"reaffirm the Bar Association's absolute commitment to eradicating sexual harassment of any kind in the workplace".
While not commenting on the official complaint,Mr Game said there were"mechanisms in place to deal with complaints of sexual harassment"and urged members to"refresh their awareness of their obligations"in relation to sexual harassment and workplace bullying.
He said"a singular event has occurred in recent days in our profession,namely the High Court's publication of the findings of an investigation into the conduct of Dyson Heydon AC QC whilst a member of the Court".
He said he was"constrained by circumstances"from commenting on the actual case but said"the gravity and significance of these issues for our profession are clear".
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