What we heard today
Both Brittany Higgins’ mother and father gave evidence this afternoon in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network Ten.
Lehrmann is suing Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson for defamation over an interview with Higgins broadcast on The Project and online which did not name him but alleged she had been raped by a Liberal staffer in March 2019.
Lehrmann has denied raping Higgins and pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual intercourse without consent. His criminal trial was abandoned due to juror misconduct and the second did not proceed due to prosecutors’ fears for Higgins’ mental health.
Here’s what we heard this afternoon:
Kelly Higgins, Brittany Higgins’ mother, described her daughter as “vivacious” and “loving life”. But she noticed a marked change in her daughter’s personality in late March and early April 2019, when Brittany became “very withdrawn” and seemed “extremely detached”;
Kelly said her daughter eventually disclosed to her and her former partner at dinner in November that she had been raped. Kelly said she had “just been told a mother’s worst nightmare” and wanted to know why nobody helped her;
Under cross-examination, Lehrmann’s barrister, Steve Whybrow SC, put to Kelly that her daughter did not disclose that information at the Gold Coast restaurant. Kelly replied: “You’re incorrect”;
Matthew Higgins, Brittany Higgins’ father, said his daughter didn’t seem herself when he visited her shortly after the alleged rape, saying “I couldn’t recognise my daughter”. He told the court Brittany disclosed the rape to him in a phone call about a year later, but did not go into detail as she was “probably looking out for me a bit”.
To read a run down of what we heard this morning, click here. Court will resume again on Tuesday morning.
Updated
Court hears lip-reading expert who is due to give evidence will require an interpreter
The court has adjourned for the day after some legal argument about upcoming witnesses and affidavits.
The lip-reading expert, Tim Reedy, will need to be flown to Sydney from the UK and will require an interpreter, Lee heard.
Lee said this is an “unusual situation” and Reedy’s requiring an interpreter – because he is profoundly deaf – may affect the “weight” he gives to his evidence.
“This is the first I’ve heard that the gentleman requires an interpreter to give his evidence, which I must say, I want to see how that works, because it seems to me rationally affecting the weight I would give to his video evidence as my very clear impression of how quickly and well he picks up on his interlocutor speaking to him.”
The court will sit at 10.15am on Tuesday.
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