Magistrate in assault case against former University of New England vice-chancellor showed ‘lack of objectivity’, court told

Prof Brigid Heywood is accused of wiping her spit on a teenager's face during an International Women's Day event in 2022

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The former University of New England vice-chancellor Prof Brigid Heywood's legal team have applied for the magistrate hearing her assault case to recuse himself, claiming he displayed a lack of calmness and objectivity".

Heywood, a British-Australian biological scientist, is alleged to have wiped her saliva on a teenager's face and commented on her skin colour at a council-run International Women's Day event in March 2022. She was a panellist at the event.

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