This was published 4 months ago
Karaoke kid kicked out: Bruce Lehrmann ‘evicted’ from Sydney house
By Kate McClymont and Perry Duffin
A full-volume rendition of (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life blasting out in the middle of the night, along with other raucous karaoke outbursts, has led to a landlord giving Bruce Lehrmann his marching orders.
“He’s been evicted from the premises,” said the owner of the multimillion-dollar North Sydney house into which the accused rapist and avowed party animal moved after leaving his Seven Network-funded home at Balgowlah last week.
Bruce Lehrmann outside the North Sydney home. Credit: Rhett Wyman
In return for an exclusive interview following the collapse of Lehrmann’s 2022 Canberra rape trial due to juror misconduct, Seven’s Spotlight paid the former Liberal staffer’s accommodation for a year, which amounted to more than $100,000.
“I had no knowledge he [Lehrmann] was there or for how long,” said the North Sydney house owner, who added she was appalled and upset to hear her tenants were causing such an uproar in the normally peaceful neighbourhood.
“I would never want strangers partying in my home,” she said of the house, purchased for $4.1 million in 2021.
A ute was spotted loading up items at the home on Friday morning.
Household items being removed from the North Sydney home.Credit: Sam Mooy
“We’ve been experiencing horrific parties,” said one neighbour, with the most disturbing thing being “screeching karaoke”.
“You never hear a peep from anyone in our street,” said the neighbour, who described the mayhem as being caused by “complete ferals” belting out karaoke until all hours, including the theme song from the movie, Dirty Dancing, and a full-throated rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You.
The Edward Street house was recently rented to Paul Farrell, a good friend of the owner’s husband.
Farrell, who had offered up his spare bedroom to Lehrmann, is said to have ordered his friend from the house as well.
Lehrmann’s friend Paul Farrell, seen at the North Sydney property.Credit: Nick Moir
Farrell was “ropeable” upon coming home from work to find Lehrmann throwing a party in his rented home. However, neighbours say the noise has been going on for more than a month.
Lehrmann’s partying habits have long worried close friends.
In February 2021, The Project aired Lisa Wilkinson’s interview with Brittany Higgins. Higgins alleged an unnamed staffer raped her, later revealed as Lehrmann.
Lehrmann messaged two friends that evening after the interview went to air, saying, “Need bags” and “Let’s get lit”.
“You got any gear?” he asked a third friend at 10:33pm on February 15.
“No I am at home. And you guys need to keep it clean. Enough!!!” the friend replied a minute later.
“Tomorrow won’t be good ... Rein the shit in.”
Lehrmann continued to message other friends about “bags”, referring to cocaine, the court documents show.
His worried friend continued to counsel him to “take this seriously” and stay inside his apartment.
Lehrmann, two days later, walked into Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital in crisis over the allegations, medical records released by the courts said.
He reported “occasional” or “recreational” cocaine use to his doctors.
Farrell’s connections to Lehrmann predate the former political staffer’s exit from his Balgowlah rental.
Another associate of Bruce Lehrmann at the home, carrying a mango ice-flavoured vape.Credit: Nick Moir
Farrell’s name appeared in court documents filed by Lehrmann’s legal team in February 2023.
“Paul Farrell of Vaucluse”, the staffer’s lawyers claimed, had identified Lehrmann as the unnamed man in Ten’s online story.
In March, Lehrmann uploaded photographs to social media showing a group of people smiling around the dinner table in his then-home.
“The family minus a couple cause we don’t wait when the food this good,” Lehrmann wrote along with a string of emojis.
Farrell was one of the tagged “family” members not present at the dinner.
Another video, filmed by a woman named Nadja, inadvertently captured one of Lehrmann’s dinner guests cutting up what appeared to be white powder on a clean plate at the dinner table.
Two days later, The Daily Mail claimed an unnamed person was trying to sell photographs of Lehrmann snorting a thick line of white powder off his dinner table with a five-dollar note in one hand – and a chihuahua in his other.
The chihuahua, reportedly also named Bruce, has a note held up to his nose as well.
Lehrmann told The Mail the white substance was flour and the image had been taken as a joke.
“This has been an inappropriate invasion of my private life and a violation of my privacy,” Lehrmann told The Mail.
The judgment in Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network Ten will be delivered on Monday.
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