‘Fundamentally dishonest’
Lehrmann after sex, not his keys, court told
Lisa Wilkinson’s barrister has told a court Bruce Lehrmann took Brittany Higgins to Parliament House to have sex because he could not go to his own home, as his girlfriend was there.
Network 10’s barrister has described Bruce Lehrmann as a “fundamentally dishonest man” and said any claim Brittany Higgins lied when making her allegation of rape was “incoherent”, a court has heard.
Mr Lehrmann is suing Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson for defamation over Ms Higgins’ February 2019 interview on The Project, during which she alleged she was sexually assaulted by her former colleague.
Ms Higgins has claimed that she was raped on a couch inwanted side Senator Linda Reynolds’ office after a night out drinking with colleagues at two Canberra bars on March 23, 2019.
Mr Lehrmann has consistently denied the allegations and has argued that he was defamed by the story.
Over Thursday and Friday, Justice Michael Lee was to hear submissions from Network 10 barrister Dr Matt Collins KC, Ms Wilkinson’s barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, as well as Mr Lehrmann’s barrister, Matthew Richardson SC.
Ms Chrysanthou has argued that Mr Lehrmann went back to Parliament House to have sex with Ms Higgins because he had a girlfriend at home.
Mr Lehrmann told the Federal Court, during his evidence,
that he went back to Parliament House to collect his keys.
He says he did not have any sexual contact with Ms Higgins that morning and left when he noticed several missed calls from his girlfriend.
“It just struck me odd … if you’re sitting in your office and you decide to go out to dinner with one of your mates, then you kick on, you would think there would be some contact at some point in the night with the girlfriend,” Justice Lee said.
“Your honour has his phone records, he doesn’t ring his girlfriend,” Ms Chrysanthou said.
“He makes no attempt to call her to see if she can open the door before he leaves the nightclub.
“He doesn’t call her, despite the fact she’s been calling him repeatedly when he leaves Parliament House ... The phone records are in evidence.”
Justice Lee questioned whether it was Ms Chrysanthou’s argument that Mr Lehrmann had gone back to Parliament House because he to go back to Parliament House for sex.
“You would say that’s a factor – a 23-year-old male, drinking, previous thoughts that Ms Higgins was attractive,” Justice Lee said.
“Shortly before going to Parliament House – if I accept Ms Gain’s evidence, hands all over each other and kissing, no contact with the girlfriend – that should lead up to a conclusion that he may not have been playing with a straight bat with his girlfriend and gone back to Parliament House … And it’s more than likely than not he would have gone back and had sex.
“The opportunity presented itself to him and he took it,” Ms Chrysanthou told the court.
“He went to Parliament House because he couldn’t go home for that purpose.”