Prominent Sydney artist Anthony Lister has been revealed as the high-profile man acquitted of two counts of rape in October, after court suppression orders were lifted. Lister, 44, a pioneer of Australia's street art movement often compared to Banksy, faced a six-week trial on nine charges including five counts of sexual intercourse without consent, alleged to have occurred over three years against five women.
In October, a jury found Lister not guilty on four charges, including one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual intercourse without consent. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the remaining five charges, which include three counts of rape against two women. Lister will face a retrial on these charges, split into two separate trials, beginning on 20 October 2025.
The suppression order was lifted on Thursday after an application from media outlets. Judge John Pickering rejected arguments from Lister's defence that revealing his identity would prejudice a future jury pool or put his safety at risk due to social media abuse. “It’s difficult for me to see what is so significant about this trial that an order needs to be made,” Pickering said.
During the trial, five complainants, four of whom were aspiring artists, gave evidence. Lister's defence argued that sex with four women was consensual and that no sexual contact occurred with another. The jury found Lister not guilty of charges relating to two women and one of three charges alleged by a third woman. Lister was also acquitted in a separate trial of possessing 1.8 grams of LSD.
