Brittany Higgins breaks silence on Bruce Lehrmann’s Toowoomba rape charge
The former Lib staffer has spoken in support of a Qld woman who has accused Bruce Lehrmann of sexually assaulting her and lashed his ‘championing’ in the media.
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has spoken in support of a Queensland woman who has accused Bruce Lehrmann of sexually assaulting her, lashing the “horrific championing” of Mr Lehrmann in the media, and labelling the alleged incident “devastating”.
Mr Lehrmann, who was accused of raping Ms Higgins in Parliament House in 2021, was last week named as the “high-profile man” charged with the rape of a young woman he met in a Toowoomba strip club.
The young woman claims upon Googling Ms Higgins’ rape case, she recognised Mr Lehrmann as the man who had unprotected sex with her without consent in October 2021.
She told police Mr Lehrmann had introduced himself as “Bryce” when they met at the club, only a few weeks after he first appeared in court over allegations he raped Ms Higgins.
Ms Higgins, who has up until now remained silent on the Toowoomba case, posted on social media on Sunday saying her “heart broke” for the young woman at the centre of it.
“When I first found out about the alleged assault my heart broke for you,” she said.
“To know that this has allegedly taken place while he was out on bail in 2021 is devastating. I note the fact you’ve decided to come forward despite seeing the horrific championing of this individual in the media all year. I am so, so sorry this allegedly happened to you.”
In a clarifying paragraph, Ms Higgins said that Mr Lehrmann “is charged with two counts of raping a woman in October 2021, with the case working its way through early committal proceedings at Toowoomba magistrates court since January.”
“He has not yet been committed to stand trial,” she said.
Mr Lehrmann allegedly had consensual sex with the woman the night they met, but failed to wear a condom when they had sex twice the next morning. Failing to wear a condom without a partner’s permission is considered sexual assault under Queensland law.
The 28-year-old was named on Thursday as the well-known Australian facing rape charges in Toowoomba after the Supreme Court of Queensland lifted a suppression order that had protected his identity.
The prosecution and media outlets, including The Australian, had fought in court to remove the non-publication order, arguing that it went against the principles of open justice and that Mr Lehrmann had no automatic protection under the new laws.
The former Liberal staffer was not present in court for the hearing, and remains on bail. He is expected to plead not guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors in the ACT last year dropped charges against Mr Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Ms Higgins, saying a retrial of the case would pose an unacceptable risk to her health. The trial had earlier been aborted after a juror was found to have brought outside material into the jury room.
Mr Lehrmann denies any wrongdoing, and says he and Ms Higgins never had sex.
At the Toowoomba hearing on Thursday, Mr Lehrmann’s barrister, Andrew Hoare, argued that his client had experienced suicidal ideation during the past two years and was at risk of “catastrophic” self-harm, including suicide, if the non-publication order was lifted.
Lawyers for the media organisations argued that Mr Lehrmann had courted media attention in four nationally broadcast television interviews between June and August this year: two on Channel 7’s Spotlight program, one on Sky News with Sharri Markson, and one on Channel 7’s Sunrise.
In the interviews, Mr Lehrmann disclosed that he was suicidal for “a little while there in the start of 2021” and that March 2021 was one of his lowest points, but also a turning point.
The alleged rape case returns to the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on November 1.
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