Guard recalls moment she found Brittany Higgins during Bruce Lehrmann rape trial
A Parliament House security guard has told a court about the moment she found Brittany Higgins the night she was allegedly raped.
The moment Brittany Higgins was found naked in Senator Linda Reynolds’ office following her alleged sexual assault was described before the ACT Supreme Court this week.
Ms Higgins has accused her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann of raping her at Parliament House in the early hours of March 23, 2019.
Mr Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual intercourse without consent.
Evidence given during Ms Higgins’ absence during week two of the trial has been unable to be published until now.
Nikola Lee Anderson, a Parliament House security guard who was on duty the night of the alleged assault, took to the witness stand on Tuesday.
Ms Anderson told the court that at about 4.15am on March 23, 2019, she was asked by her supervisor to conduct a welfare check as Ms Higgins had yet to return from the suite.
The jury heard Ms Anderson say she announced herself before entering Senator Reynolds office and finding Ms Higgins “completely naked”.
“As I opened the door, Ms Higgins was lying on her back completely naked on the lounge,” she said.
The jury heard Ms Higgins then opened her eyes, looked at Ms Anderson, before rolling over to her right and curling up in the foetal position.
“I believe the dress Ms Higgins was wearing was on the floor next to her,” she said.
“I know for a fact she was completely naked.”
Ms Anderson told the court she walked out of the room and called her team leader to advise him of what she had seen.
In a recorded police interview played for the court during the first week of the trial, Ms Higgins described her dress being pushed up around her waist during the alleged assault.
“My dress was still on my body, but it was really scrunched up so it was around my waist,” Ms Higgins said in the police interview.
The court also heard from Fiona Brown, former chief of staff to Senator Reynolds, who said Ms Higgins indicated she wasn’t completely naked following the alleged assault.
Speaking about a meeting she had with Ms Higgins in the days following the alleged incident, Ms Brown told the court the former Liberal staffer said she remembered waking up at some point in the night “semi-naked” or “semi-undressed”.
‘Like f***ing a log’: Higgins’ shock description
Former Parliament House Departmental Liaison Officer (DLO), Christopher Payne, took to the witness stand on Tuesday, confirming he had been informed about an incident in Senator Reynolds’ office by Ms Brown.
When asked by Mr Lehrmann’s lawyer, Steven Whybrow, whether Ms Brown had told him Ms Higgins had been found naked, he said he was told “she had been found in a state of undress”.
Mr Payne also recalled Ms Higgins coming into the DLO room “visibly upset” in the days following her alleged assault.
He said she proceeded to give him a description of a conversation that she had previously had with Ms Brown, indicating that an event had occurred in Senator Reynolds’ office over the weekend.
Mr Payne said Ms Higgins told him that she had “effectively blacked out” in Ms Reynolds office and had woken up on the couch with Mr Lehrmann on top of her.
“She indicated that he was having sex with her at that time,” he told the court.
He said Ms Higgins was crying and Mr Payne recalled asking if he could ask her a very direct question.
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The jury heard Mr Payne asked Ms Higgins, “Did he rape you?”
“She said, ‘I could not have consented, it would have been like f***ing a log,’” he said.
Mr Payne said this conversation occurred either on the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday after the alleged assault.
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