Brittany Higgins told senior colleague she remembered Bruce Lehrmann on top of her, defamation trial hears

Former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown leaves the federal court in Sydney, where she was giving evidence at the trial for Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Lisa Wilkinson and Network Ten. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown was dramatically compelled to give evidence in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial on Monday on the proviso the federal court’s live stream was disabled while she was in the witness box.

Brown was Senator Linda Reynolds’ chief of staff at the time Brittany Higgins claims Lehrmann raped her on the ministerial couch, and was the first person to interview both of them. She took contemporaneous notes.