Bruce Lehrmann, Brittany Higgins face-to-face again as evidence heard in defamation trial
Bruce Lehrmann, in his young Liberal uniform of blue suit, brown boots and staid tie, sat at one end of the front row, while Lisa Wilkinson sat at the other. Brittany Higgins sat in the middle, three seats from Wilkinson and eight from Lehrmann.
NSW
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As former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins left the witness box after the first five minutes of what the court was told would be “graphic and distressing evidence” of her alleged rape she fell into the arms of TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson.
“You even smell good,” Higgins tearfully told the former Project host who is being sued for defamation along with Network 10 for her interview detailing Higgins’ alleged assault by Bruce Lehrmann.
Network Ten lawyer Dr Matthew Collins told the Federal Court that Lehrmann had not been identified by the Project’s broadcast.
Higgins would be the first of more than 20 witnesses who would prove that the alleged assault did happen.
“We expect that she will give graphic and distressing evidence of being sexually assaulted by Mr Lehrmann in Senator Reynolds office in the period between about 1:48am and about 2.30am on Saturday, the 23rd of March 2019 after a night when she had consumed at least 12 vodka or spirit based drinks, and was more drunk than she had ever been in her life,” he said.
Higgins had arrived at the Federal court with her fiance David Sharaz who, the court heard, had first contacted Wilkinson with a story of enormous public interest. Earlier Lehrmann had told the court he believed Sharaz had sent him an anonymous threatening email titled: “Coming for you.”
Higgins, 28, who now lives on the Gold Coast, entered the courtroom staunchly supported by her lobbyist friend and business partner Emma Webster.
It was her first time back in a courtroom since the first criminal trial against Mr Lehrmann was abandoned due to juror misconduct and prosecutors chose not to pursue a second trial over fears for her mental health.
The charge against Mr Lehrmann was subsequently dropped.
This time in a civil court the case will be decided on the lower standard of the balance of probabilities rather than the criminal standard of beyond a reasonable doubt.
Lehrmann, in his young Liberal uniform of blue suit, brown boots and staid tie, sat at one end of the front row in Court 22A while Wilkinson sat at the other. Higgins sat in the middle, three seats from Wilkinson and eight from Lehrmann.
With just five minutes left in the day she was finally called to give evidence and told the court officer “an oath would be lovely” rather than an affirmation.
She told the court she grew up on the Gold Coast and after a period where she “bounced around” between jobs she began work in the office of local Liberal MP Sam O’Connor.
Dr Collins asked if she was drawn to the Liberal side of politics.
“I grew up in Queensland so that was pretty much a given,” she quipped.
From there she was offered a job in the office of Steven Ciobo in Canberra that would ultimately end in her move to the office of Linda Reynolds alongside Bruce Lehrmann.
Dr Kelly said other witnesses would include the security guard who found her naked on the couch in Minister Reynolds office in the early hours of the morning. The same couch she would sit on days later to tell chief of staff Fiona Brown about the alleged assault.
Lehrmann, who has consistently denied ever assaulting Higgins, had earlier finished his evidence under cross examination by Wilkinson’s lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC who set out to show that Wilkinson’s interview with Higgins on the Project was journalism in the public interest.
The former Project presenter reportedly spent $700,000 hiring Chrysanthou and her legal team to represent her interests in the case. Wilkinson, in a black trouser suit and mint scarf, watched transfixed as her gladiator went to work.
But Ms Chrysanthou’s attempts to head off any objections by Federal Court Justice Michael Lee to stymie any “tag team” questioning with Dr Collins was met with a firm line from the bench.
“I don’t object Ms Chrysanthou, I rule,” he said.
Ms Chrysanthou asked Lehrmann if he still believed that “because of my client’s ostentatious outrage that, as of today, you are considered one of the country’s most odious predators?” Lehrmann agreed.
She asked if he recalled former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s apology to Higgins for “the terrible things that took place here”.
Lehrmann did. “His stupid parliament speech, yes,” he replied.
The cross examination also led Lehrmann to confirm that he was happy with the settlements he received from the ABC and News Corp before the case began last week. He also said his rent was currently being paid by Channel 7 in return for interviews he gave earlier in the year.
Higgins returns to the witness box at 9.30am on Wednesday.
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