Brittany Higgins knew her accomplice had given files associated with her alleged rape to newshounds earlier than police had officially interviewed her, a Canberra courtroom docket has heard.
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann is on trial withinside the ACT Supreme Court, charged with raping his then colleague, Ms Higgins, in Parliament House in March 2019.
He has pleaded now no longer guilty, and says he by no means had intercourse with Ms Higgins.
Today, the fourth day of his trial, the courtroom docket heard that News Corp journalist Samantha Maiden posted information of the alleged attack on February 15, 2021, and TV host Lisa Wilkinson broadcast an interview with Ms Higgins that night time on The Project.
Police interviewed Ms Higgins approximately the allegations extra than per week later, on February 24.
Ms Higgins advised the courtroom docket these days she observed up with a journalist from The Australian to verify she had obtained a timeline detailing who changed into privy to the alleged rape.
Mr Lehrmann’s barrister, Steven Whybrow, requested her:
“Do you receive which you had been worried in dispensing that document … widerthan simply the police, hours earlier than The Project went to air however hours after it have become apparent?”
She responded: “Yes, I changed into worried in that process.”
Yesterday, Ms Higgins advised the courtroom docket she changed into “exceeded out on Valium” whilst the timeline changed into distributed, and that it changed into despatched through her accomplice, David Sharaz, now no longer her.
“I changed into quite out of it due to the fact I changed into taking lots of Valium on the time … and my accomplice decided that he’ll very freely say that he regrets,” she stated.
“He despatched it to more than one journos, then that agree with changed into breached and it went to the relaxation of the click gallery.
“When I changed into exceeded out on Valium, David made a name to simply send.”
Brittany Higgins denies deleting textual content with goal to cover it from police
Earlier these days, Ms Higgins changed into requested if she deleted a message from her telecellsmartphone earlier than she surpassed it to police.
Defence legal professional Steven Whybrow requested Ms Higgins if she had deleted a textual content despatched to her ex-accomplice that read: “I’m now no longer inquisitive about pursuing it [a complaint about the alleged assault] however it is all past extraordinary.”
When requested if Ms Higgins deleted matters off her telecellsmartphone earlier than giving it to police, Ms Higgins responded: “It wasn’t with the goal of retaining it from police.”
Mr Whybrow requested whether or not she additionally intentionally deleted all pix of then minster Linda Reynolds, her boss on the time, from her telecellsmartphone.
“I by no means desired to peer Linda Reynolds’s face once more so I cleared off any photographs I had of operating for her,” she stated.
“My telecellsmartphone is my domestic and I simply failed to need her in my domestic. I desired her out. I desired her out my life.
“I desired to wash all of the terrible elements from my every day life.”
But whilst requested if she then provided a image of Senator Reynolds to News Corp journalist Samantha Maiden in January 2021, earlier than going public together along with her allegations, Ms Higgins stated she had.
She stated that picturegraph have been published to her Instagram for a few time.
‘It’s deeply insulting’: Higgins denies mendacity approximately alleged rapeDuring her cross-examination, Mr Whybrow cautioned to Ms Higgins that she had now no longer attended a physician’s appointment after the alleged attack in Parliament House due to the fact she by no means “had sexual sex” with Mr Lehrmann.
“The motive you failed to observe thru with any of these I endorse is due to the fact you hadn’t had sexual sex with Mr Lehrmann on that weekend, consensul or otherwise,” the barrister stated.
Ms Higgins vehemently rejected the claim.
“You are so incorrect. I don’t realize if you’ve ever long past thru a trauma earlier than, however confronting it with experts is a simply tough element to do,” she replied.
Mr Whybrow additionally cautioned Ms Higgins may have lied to her then leader-of-team of workers Fiona Brown approximately desiring a unwell day at the Friday after the alleged attack, pronouncing she rather went out for breakfast with an ex-accomplice.
“You advised Fiona Brown which you needed to visit the physician to strengthen your claims that some thing non-consensual had befell,” Mr Whybrow cautioned to Ms Higgins.
“Nothing which you are pronouncing proper now could be authentic and it is deeply insulting,” Ms Higgins replied.
Trial enters fourth day
Yesterday, the courtroom docket heard Ms Higgins secretly recorded a verbal exchange with then cupboard minister Michaelia Cash approximately her alleged rape, after which despatched the recording to a friend.
Under cross-examination, Ms Higgins stated she spoke to Senator Cash, her then boss, approximately the alleged attack nearly years afterwards, in January 2021.
In reaction to questioning, she stated she covertly recorded the telecellsmartphone name to shield herself, and recorded every other verbal exchange with Senator Cash’s leader of team of workers, Daniel Try.
She advised the courtroom docket she located the verbal exchange with Senator Cash odd.
“It changed into so extraordinary due to the fact the complete name she changed into pretending, like, she failed to realize and he or she notion a protection protect assaulted me,” Ms Higgins stated.
Earlier withinside the day, Mr Lehrmann’s legal professionals talked about inconsistencies in Ms Higgins’s proof in courtroom docket.
Ms Higgins conceded she had “made a mistake” in her testimony whilst discussing the white get dressed she wore at the night time of her alleged rape.
Under questioning, Ms Higgins first of all stated she placed the get dressed in a plastic bag and stored it beneathneath her mattress for 6 months, earlier than washing it and carrying it one ultimate time.
But later, beneathneath cross-examination, Ms Higgins stated the very last event she wore the get dressed changed into to a Liberal feature in May in Perth.
When Mr Whybrow requested if she had lied approximately retaining it beneathneath her mattress for 6 months, Ms Higgins stated she made an error.
“I made a mistake … I changed into simply wrong,” she stated.
The courtroom docket changed into additionally proven textual content messages Ms Higgins despatched to a former accomplice withinside the days following the alleged rape, wherein they mentioned what befell that night time.
Mr Lehrmann’s trial is predicted to run for as a minimum 4 weeks.
The case continues.
