Whistleblower claims court staff bullied Ashleigh Petrie before tragic death

A whistleblower has accused senior court staff of openly mocking clerk Ashleigh Petrie over her controversial relationship with magistrate Rodney Higgins.

Magistrate Rodney Higgins and court clerk Ashleigh Petrie. Picture: Supplied

A Magistrates Court whistleblower has accused senior staff of bullying court clerk Ashleigh Petrie before her tragic death.

A court staffer, speaking on the strict condition of anonymity, told the Herald Sun they had raised concerns about the treatment of Ms Petrie by senior staff, including magistrates.

She said Ms Petrie was openly mocked inside the court by top officials after her controversial relationship with magistrate Rodney Higgins, 45 years her senior, was revealed.

“I couldn’t believe it, she was 23 and I thought, what are you talking about, you have a duty of care to her,” the source said.

There was a 45-year age gap between Mr Higgins and Ms Petrie.

Ms Petrie herself had told the Herald Sun she had wanted to lift the lid on a toxic culture at the court.

The source said senior victim advocates within the court’s family violence branch had raised concerns about Ms Petrie’s treatment.

“She was destroyed, like they bullied her.

“Apart from the fact that she was marrying him, she was never going to work in her chosen career, ever.”

The source said the problem reached a peak when former chief magistrate Peter Lauritsen made an indefinite intervention order against Ms Petrie after it was sought by Mr Higgins’ former partner.

Mr Lauritsen refused calls to recuse himself from the hearing and ultimately made an indefinite order against Ms Petrie banning her from all contact with Mr Higgins’ former partner.

Senior judicial staff told the Herald Sun staff had been left embarrassed by the incident.

Mr Lauritsen appeared in court via video link, with sources saying it would have been more appropriate for an interstate magistrate to hear the matter because of his links to both parties — through Mr Higgins but also because Ms Petrie is a court employee.

Prior to the hearing he had also discussed Mr Higgins’ new relationship with him and on one occasion had warned him to stay away from Ms Petrie, sources have revealed.

It is not suggested Mr Higgins is accused of bullying Ms Petrie

The court source said a vile culture of sexual harassment continued to plague the courts.

“They hire dozens of young girls every year, and she was one of them. She was 19 when she started,” they said.

Comment has been sought from the Magistrates Court.