In a significant development in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-court-begins-trial-of-former-staffer-bruce-lehrmann-accused-of-sexual-assault-in-parliament-house-522340">years-long case</a> which has rocked Australian politics, where&nbsp;former government staffer Bruce Lehrmann was accused of rape by his colleague, and&nbsp;had sought to clear his name by suing one of the country’s largest television networks for defamation, was found guilty of the crime, on Monday (Apr 15).&nbsp;

<h2>What happened in court?</h2>

The verdict on Monday brings an end to the complex case involving government ministers, media personalities and political staff in several complicated legal and civil battles, which has captivated Australians and people worldwide since 2021.&nbsp;

On Monday, Justice Michael Lee declared he was satisfied, on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped his then-colleague Brittany Higgins in 2019.&nbsp;

“Mr Lehrmann raped Miss Higgins” and told “deliberate lies,” Lee said at the end of the lengthy ruling which took place in a Federal Court in Sydney.&nbsp;

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The verdict stems from Higgins’ allegations in 2021, who said that she was raped by a colleague in an exclusive television interview with Network Ten’s “The Project” programme, where she detailed how Lehrmann raped her inside Parliament House after a night of drinking in 2019.

This led to a criminal trial a year later where Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual intercourse without consent and denied that any sexual activity occurred.&nbsp;

However, the 2022 criminal trial was aborted due to one juror's misconduct, in December of that year. The prosecutors later dropped the charges against Lehrmann saying that a retrial would pose a risk to Higgins’ mental health.&nbsp;

Lee also noted how Lehrmann had escaped without any charges but went on to sue the network for defamation, a move which backfired and has now led to him being labelled a rapist.

“Having escaped the lion’s den, Mr Lehrmann made the mistake of going back for his hat,” said the judge.&nbsp;

Lee found that the two had sex that night, but since Higgins was so inebriated she could not have possibly given her consent, and that Lehrmann did not seek to obtain it.&nbsp;

The judge also considered it “more likely than not in those early hours, after a long night of conviviality and drinking and having successfully brought Ms Higgins back to a secluded place, Mr Lehrmann was hellbent on having sex” with Higgins and was “indifferent” to whether she wanted to as well.

Therefore, Lee ruled in favour of the Australian network. Notably, the standard of proof in defamation cases is lower than in criminal proceedings as judges are required to make findings about the case only on the balance of probabilities, rather than the “beyond reasonable doubt”.

However, he was also critical of the media outlet saying that the rape allegations were intertwined with the cover-up and the program’s team had “strong indications of the unreliability of their main source”.&nbsp;

<h2>‘Omnishambles’</h2>

Lee found that accusations of Higgins’ bosses in the Liberal Party had tried to cover up the allegations or pressure her was “objectively short on facts, but long on speculation”. Overall, the judge said, the case has been an “omnishambles”.&nbsp;

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He also criticised the network for its approach to seeking a comment from Lehrmann saying there were better ways to get in touch with him. “He was not living the life of a hermit,” said Lee.

After the ruling, Lehrmann left the court and did not make any comment to the reporters standing outside.&nbsp;

Higgins’ claims were dramatically reported on by the network, during which she had not named Lehrmann. However, he accused the show’s presenter Lisa Wilkinson of damaging his reputation after she provided enough information during the programme to know it was him.&nbsp;

Lee after examining notes, texts, social media messages, emails, hours of audio and CCTV footage of the night in question.&nbsp;

The judge found that he was a “far surer guide” about what happened that night than the testimonies of either Lehrmann or Higgins calling her also an “unsatisfactory witness”.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

In a significant development in the years-long case which has rocked Australian politics, where former government staffer Bruce Lehrmann was accused of rape by his colleague, and had sought to clear his name by suing one of the country’s largest television networks for defamation, was found guilty of the crime, on Monday (Apr 15).

In a significant development in the years-long case which has rocked Australian politics, where former government staffer Bruce Lehrmann was accused of rape by his colleague, and had sought to clear his name by suing one of the country’s largest television networks for defamation, was found guilty of the crime, on Monday (Apr 15). What happened in court? The verdict on Monday brings an end to the complex case involving government ministers, media personalities and political staff in several complicated legal and civil battles, which has captivated Australians and people worldwide since 2021. On Monday, Justice Michael Lee declared he was satisfied, on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped his then-colleague Brittany Higgins in 2019. “Mr Lehrmann raped Miss Higgins” and told “deliberate lies,” Lee said at the end of the lengthy ruling which took place in a Federal Court in Sydney. Also Read | Iran to allow Indian govt representatives to meet 17 citizens onboard seized cargo ship The verdict stems from Higgins’ allegations in 2021, who said that she was raped by a colleague in an exclusive television interview with Network Ten’s “The Project” programme, where she detailed how Lehrmann raped her inside Parliament House after a night of drinking in 2019. This led to a criminal trial a year later where Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual intercourse without consent and denied that any sexual activity occurred. However, the 2022 criminal trial was aborted due to one juror's misconduct, in December of that year. The prosecutors later dropped the charges against Lehrmann saying that a retrial would pose a risk to Higgins’ mental health. Lee also noted how Lehrmann had escaped without any charges but went on to sue the network for defamation, a move which backfired and has now led to him being labelled a rapist. “Having escaped the lion’s den, Mr Lehrmann made the mistake of going back for his hat,” said the judge. Lee found that the two had sex that night, but since Higgins was so inebriated she could not have possibly given her consent, and that Lehrmann did not seek to obtain it. The judge also considered it “more likely than not in those early hours, after a long night of conviviality and drinking and having successfully brought Ms Higgins back to a secluded place, Mr Lehrmann was hellbent on having sex” with Higgins and was “indifferent” to whether she wanted to as well. Therefore, Lee ruled in favour of the Australian network. Notably, the standard of proof in defamation cases is lower than in criminal proceedings as judges are required to make findings about the case only on the balance of probabilities, rather than the “beyond reasonable doubt”. However, he was also critical of the media outlet saying that the rape allegations were intertwined with the cover-up and the program’s team had “strong indications of the unreliability of their main source”. ‘Omnishambles’ Lee found that accusations of Higgins’ bosses in the Liberal Party had tried to cover up the allegations or pressure her was “objectively short on facts, but long on speculation”. Overall, the judge said, the case has been an “omnishambles”. Also Read | Israeli envoy Naor Gilon recognises Indian de-escalation efforts amid conflict with Iran He also criticised the network for its approach to seeking a comment from Lehrmann saying there were better ways to get in touch with him. “He was not living the life of a hermit,” said Lee. After the ruling, Lehrmann left the court and did not make any comment to the reporters standing outside. Higgins’ claims were dramatically reported on by the network, during which she had not named Lehrmann. However, he accused the show’s presenter Lisa Wilkinson of damaging his reputation after she provided enough information during the programme to know it was him. Lee after examining notes, texts, social media messages, emails, hours of audio and CCTV footage of the night in question. The judge found that he was a “far surer guide” about what happened that night than the testimonies of either Lehrmann or Higgins calling her also an “unsatisfactory witness”. (With inputs from agencies)

Judge finds ex-staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins inside Australian parliament

Brittany Higgins confronted her accused rapist, Bruce Lehrmann, in a courtroom on Friday and said “nothing was fine after what you did to me”. Higgins has alleged she was raped in the Parliament House in the early hours of March 23, 2019. Higgins was cross-examined on Friday morning by defence barrister Steven Whybrow who asked her about the days after the alleged rape happened.

Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty and is fighting one charge of sexual intercourse without consent. Whybrow told Higgins that Lehrmann had not raped her, and that he wasn't in the minister’s office. Higgins broke down after this and said, “He was in there. He was physically violating me.”

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Whybrow &nbsp;also said that Higgins had “completely cordial and normal” email exchanges with Lehrmann in the days after her alleged rape. To which she replied, "I wouldn’t say normal, I think after a trauma you go through a sort of strange holding period of an extended freeze, I guess.”&nbsp;

“But yeah, I was trying to maintain calm because he had a higher station in the office than me. I was just trying to hold on… I was scared.”

Whybrow also pointed out to Higgins that she fabricated the entire thing to save her job because she was at the parliament late night. Higgins denied the allegation saying, "You are asserting to me that I completely fabricated this, just to keep a job."

To which Whybrow said that she didn't even file a police complaint as she had been able to save her job. Higgins said the reason behind it was that she was pressured not to do so by her superiors, including her then-minister Linda Reynolds.

Whybrow also put it to Higgins that her behaviour was completely normal in the days after the alleged rape, since nothing had actually happened. Higgins responded by saying, "I know that’s what you think. I don’t accept it at all."

Whybrow suggested that she brought forward rape allegations when she realised her dream job was under threat.

Higgins then directly addressed Lehrmann for the first time during her evidence.

“Up until then I was holding it in, holding it in, holding it in, pretending like everything was fine,” she said. “Nothing was fine, nothing was fine after what you did to me.”

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

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Brittany Higgins confronted her accused rapist, Bruce Lehrmann, in a courtroom on Friday and said “nothing was fine after what you did to me”. Higgins has alleged she was raped in the Parliament House in the early hours of March 23, 2019.

Brittany Higgins confronted her accused rapist, Bruce Lehrmann, in a courtroom on Friday and said “nothing was fine after what you did to me”. Higgins has alleged she was raped in the Parliament House in the early hours of March 23, 2019. Higgins was cross-examined on Friday morning by defence barrister Steven Whybrow who asked her about the days after the alleged rape happened. Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty and is fighting one charge of sexual intercourse without consent. Whybrow told Higgins that Lehrmann had not raped her, and that he wasn't in the minister’s office. Higgins broke down after this and said, “He was in there. He was physically violating me.” Also Read | Former political staffer Brittany Higgins felt 'trapped' during alleged rape in Canberra parliament Whybrow also said that Higgins had “completely cordial and normal” email exchanges with Lehrmann in the days after her alleged rape. To which she replied, "I wouldn’t say normal, I think after a trauma you go through a sort of strange holding period of an extended freeze, I guess.” “But yeah, I was trying to maintain calm because he had a higher station in the office than me. I was just trying to hold on… I was scared.” Whybrow also pointed out to Higgins that she fabricated the entire thing to save her job because she was at the parliament late night. Higgins denied the allegation saying, "You are asserting to me that I completely fabricated this, just to keep a job." To which Whybrow said that she didn't even file a police complaint as she had been able to save her job. Higgins said the reason behind it was that she was pressured not to do so by her superiors, including her then-minister Linda Reynolds. Whybrow also put it to Higgins that her behaviour was completely normal in the days after the alleged rape, since nothing had actually happened. Higgins responded by saying, "I know that’s what you think. I don’t accept it at all." Whybrow suggested that she brought forward rape allegations when she realised her dream job was under threat. Higgins then directly addressed Lehrmann for the first time during her evidence. “Up until then I was holding it in, holding it in, holding it in, pretending like everything was fine,” she said. “Nothing was fine, nothing was fine after what you did to me.” (With inputs from agencies)

‘Nothing was fine after what you did to me’: Brittany Higgins confronts rape accused in Canberra court

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Judge finds ex-staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins inside Australian parliament

‘Nothing was fine after what you did to me’: Brittany Higgins confronts rape accused in Canberra court