This text incorporates references to allegations of rape and sexual assault.
Brittany Higgins broke down sobbing within the arms of a detailed good friend days after being allegedly raped by Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament Home, a court docket has heard.
Ben Dillaway says he flew to Canberra on 27 March, 2019 to help Higgins after suspecting she had been sexually assaulted the weekend earlier than.
Giving proof in a defamation trial on Thursday, Dillaway stated Higgins was crying and sobbing in his arms.
“She was very upset and appeared very damaged,” he informed the Federal Courtroom.
Dillaway stated whereas he couldn’t recall the precise phrases spoken, he took away from the dialogue that his good friend had been raped or sexually assaulted.
Lehrmann is suing Community Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson for defamation over a February 2021 report on The Mission concerning Higgins’ allegation.
The ex-Liberal staffer denies any sexual contact or intimacy occurred between himself and Higgins.
Lisa Wilkinson is seen throughout a break on the Federal Courtroom of Australia in Sydney, Thursday, December 7, 2023. Supply: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
Within the week or so after the alleged rape, Higgins allegedly informed Dillaway she was struggling at work, had skilled panic assaults and had confined herself in a Parliament Home rest room to cry.
She additionally informed him she didn’t need anybody to know concerning the alleged incident, Dillaway stated.
“She had issues about changing into often called the lady who was raped in parliament.”
Below cross-examination by Lehrmann’s barrister Steven Whybrow SC, Dillaway stated he thought Higgins had an “unfounded concern” about perceived penalties on her job if she went to the police.
“I believed she had nothing to concern from her job as a result of she was the sufferer,” he stated.
There was additionally no ultimatum Higgins had to assist minister Linda Reynolds marketing campaign for the federal election in Perth however fairly it was a sense she had, Dillaway stated.
Nikola Anderson was working as a safety guard about 1.30am on 23 March, 2019 when she escorted Higgins and Lehrmann to the workplace of Senator Reynolds.
Anderson testified that she performed a welfare test about 4.30am after Higgins failed to return out of the suite.
In an affidavit, she stated Higgins was bare on the minister’s sofa and had opened her eyes to have a look at her.
“She rolled over into the fetal place and confronted the desk, the minister’s desk,” she informed the court docket.
Higgins’ costume and sneakers had been on the ground subsequent to the lounge, her make-up seemed to be intact and he or she didn’t look like in any misery, Anderson stated.
Bruce Lehrmann (proper) is suing Community Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson for defamation over a February 2021 report on The Mission concerning the allegations of Brittany Higgins. Supply: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
Mark Fairweather, the opposite safety guard who signed Lehrmann and Higgins into Parliament Home, stated the pair didn’t appear to be too drunk going by means of the steel detectors.
He stated when Lehrmann left afterward, he was strolling rapidly whereas wanting down at his telephone.
Main Nikita Irvine labored as Senator Reynolds’ aide de camp across the time of the alleged rape and informed the court docket she bought “unhealthy vibes” from Lehrmann.
“After I began at that workplace, I had unhealthy vibes on Bruce and his future,” she stated.
When Ten’s barrister Matthew Collins KC requested what she meant, Irvine couldn’t give a exact reply.
“It is girls’s instinct, Dr Collins. I am sorry, I simply did not wish to spend time with him.”
Lehrmann has already had $445,000 in authorized payments coated beneath two defamation settlements with Information.com.au and the ABC over their media experiences airing Higgins’ rape allegations.
Higgins obtained a complete of just about $2.5 million from a settlement with the Commonwealth after suing for breaches of employment regulation and the intercourse discrimination act in relation to occasions throughout and after the alleged rape.
Lehrmann was charged in August 2021 over the alleged rape, however his felony trial within the ACT Supreme Courtroom was derailed by juror misconduct.
Prosecutors didn’t search a second trial, citing issues for Higgins’ psychological well being.
If this story has raised any points for you, assist is on the market at Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Should you or somebody you recognize desires to speak about sexual assault or harassment, household or home violence, name 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or go to www.1800RESPECT.org.au
In an emergency, name 000.
