Former political staffer Brittany Higgins felt 'trapped' during alleged rape in Canberra parliament
Brittany Higgins
A former political employee from Australia claimed she felt "trapped" and "not human" during alleged rape inside Canberra's Parliament House.
Brittany Higgins was allegedly sexually attacked by Bruce Lehrmann in March 2019 when she was intoxicated and dozing off in a government minister's office, according to the prosecution.
Lehrmann, 27, entered a not guilty plea and says they never had intercourse. This week's trial in a court in Canberra got underway, and numerous well-known witnesses are likely to testify.
Higgins, who was testifying in court for the first time, said she had known Lehrmann for less than a month before the alleged attack on March 23 and that he had attempted to kiss her after a work function in the weeks prior.
Higgins had earlier testified that she and Lehrmann had planned to share a vehicle home after a night out with friends but had instead stopped at Parliament House in a police interview that was shown to the jury.
Higgins stated during a second police interview that she was hesitant to inform her supervisors of what had occurred because she feared losing her job and felt "disposable."
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The incident was first reported to the police by Higgins in April 2019, but she later withdrew her complaint out of concern that it would interfere with her ability to do her job during an election campaign.
After speaking with two journalists, she requested that the matter be reopened in February 2021, over two years later.
The Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court has been informed by the prosecution that they want to claim that Higgins was too drunk to consent to sex.
It is anticipated that the experiment would last up to six weeks.
(with inputs from agencies)
