This week the Bruce Lehrmann trial became a private affair, at least in the short term, with journalists barred from reporting on the evidence, before Brittany Higgins had finished her cross examination.
Key points:
- Bruce Lehrmann has faced the second week of his trial for allegedly raping his coworker
- Mr Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to the charge and says no sexual activity occurred
- He said he had been looking to leave his position at Parliament House due to its workplace culture
Mr Lehrmann has been on trial in the ACT Supreme Court over the alleged rape of Ms Higgins in the office of Senator Linda Reynolds in 2019.
The court heard from nearly 20 witnesses while Ms Higgins was unavailable this week.
The most important evidence, which has now been revealed, was the police interview with Mr Lehrmann in 2019.
It was the jury's first chance to hear his account.
Several times he restated that he had not had sexual intercourse with Ms Higgins.
He said when the pair caught an Uber to Parliament House he had been simply offering her a ride.
"I recall it being professional," he said.
He admitted they were both affected by alcohol, saying they were both about seven out of ten on a scale of drunkenness.
"I was not staggering, I was with the program," Mr Lehrmann said.
When asked about Ms Higgins's work in Senator Reynolds's office he said he couldn't provide details.
"I'm not sure because I did not know her very well," Mr Lehrmann said.
"My understanding was that she was in a media adviser role."
He told police he'd lost his job after that night, because the entry to Parliament House had triggered a security investigation.
Mr Lehrmann told the police he'd been asked to go into an office by Chief of Staff Fiona Brown, and not to bring his phone or a notebook.
He said he was told it would be best if he left his position, since it was the second security investigation involving him, after an earlier unrelated incident.
Mr Lehrmann said he'd been looking for a way out before he was let go, saying working in Parliament House had been mentally scarring.
"I'd done it long enough," Mr Lerhrmann said.
"The culture was horrendous."
He told police what he was worried about was whether the incident would spark a police investigation, because he was looking for work in the security sector.
"As someone who was a Nazi about security … I was concerned about the AFP being involved," he said.
"I thought, 'crap'."
After a calm and matter of fact exchange with police, his demeanour changed and he appeared distressed as he told police about when he discovered what had been alleged against him.
His interview was followed by a steady stream of witnesses, including some who had been out drinking with the pair, Ms Higgins's housemate, and her mother Kelly.
The cleaner sent into the Minister's office said there had been little to clean, but he had wiped down the couch with a leather cleaner.
The Chief of Staff who had sacked Mr Lehrmann, Fiona Brown, told the court she had put to him that he came into the building inebriated.
"He didn't agree that he was inebriated," she said.
"He said that he came back to the office to drink some whiskey."
She said she told him she thought that was a bit unusual, but he said to her that that it happened all the time.
"Drinking was not a policy for us," Ms Brown said.
Security guards who let the pair into the building also gave evidence.
One of them said she'd done a welfare check on Ms Higgins after Mr Lehrmann had left the building through security by himself and found her naked on the couch.
Yesterday as Ms Higgins faced intense questioning about whether she had made up the allegation because she was scared of losing her job, she told the court how embarrassed she'd been to know she was found in a state of undress by the security staff.
She also said she had been embarrassed about the revelations she hadn't been wearing underwear.
"I didn't wear underwear that night," she said.
"I know that's salacious and clickbaitey, or whatever, but I didn't wear underwear with that dress on the basis that it had lines.
"On a 20-year old girl, we care about stuff like that. It was stupid."
But when Mr Lehrmann's lawyer Steven Whybrow pressed her about what she had told a journalist and others, Chief Justice Lucy McCallum cut him off.
"Mr Whybrow, there comes a limit," Chief Justice McCallum said.
One accusation Ms Higgins has stuck to is her claim that at another work function Mr Lehrmann had tried to kiss her, and she had rebuffed him.
The jury has heard there are still several witnesses to come, including Senator Linda Reynolds on Tuesday next week.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIyLTEwLTE1L3NlY29uZC13ZWVrLWEtc3RyZWFtLW9mLXdpdG5lc3Nlcy10by1icnVjZS1sZWhybWFubi1yYXBlLXRyaWFsLzEwMTUzODgzNNIBAA?oc=5
2022-10-14 18:48:32Z
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