CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses alleged sexual assault and rape.
Sydney-based street artist Anthony Lister can now be identified as the high-profile man who was found not guilty of raping two women and indecently assaulting another after a court order suppressing his identity was lifted.
On Thursday, Judge John Pickering lifted a supression order protecting Lister‘s identification following a joint application from media outlets The Sydney Morning Herald, the ABC and The Guardian Australia.
In October, after 12 days of deliberation, the jury of nine men and three women found Lister not guilty on four out of a total of nine charges. This includes two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, one count of indecent assault and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the remaining five charges, which included three counts of rape against two women.
Lister will face a retrial on the remaining charges in 2025.
Lister was accused to have raped four women and indecently assaulted a fifth between 2014 to 2017.
As per the SMH, it’s alleged the artist would force himself onto his intern, serving up another a “special drink” allegedly laced with the date rape drug GHB, tattooing another without her consent, grabbing a woman by the throat and throwing her to the floor and tricking another into staying the night at his house.
Lister pleaded not guilty to all nine charges, including the multiple counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
In Court, Crown prosecutor Adrian Robertson alleged Lister was “opportunistic” and “took risks” to have sex when other people were around. Robertson also alleged the artist “had a tendency” to be sexual with “usually much younger females” while not knowing if they consented to the sexual acts.
Lister’s lawyer David Scully said the artist denied all the allegations and that he had consensual sexual intercourse with women who “admired” or “idolised” him for his fame and that some had felt “heartbroken” or “betrayed by his behaviour”.
In relation to the court’s decision to lift the suppression order on Lister’s identification, Lister’s lawyers argued that the “status quo” should be taken into consideration ahead of the retrials.
Judge Pickering questioned Lister’s fame, asked if he was “really well known” and questioned why the suppression order should remain while “there are so many high-profile cases that don’t get suppression orders”, the ABC reports.
When Lister’s lawyers argued that he could be doxxed, Judge Pickering said that he could remove his social media profiles.
Matthew Lewis, who represented the media outlets, said media organisations “are bound to publish fair and accurate reports of court cases, which would be unlikely to prejudice a future jury pool so far in advance”.
Anthony Lister is known for his artwork and how it’s contributed to Australia’s street art movement. His drawings and paintings have been seen all over the world, both in galleries and on public walls.
Lister’s retrial on the remaining charges will be split into two separate trials and is set to begin on October 20, 2025.
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
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