‘Now it’s time to heal’: Higgins breaks silence on Lehrmann case

1 week ago 11

Rape unfortunate and erstwhile Liberal Party governmental staffer Brittany Higgins has declared it is “now clip to heal”, utilizing her archetypal nationalist comments since the Bruce Lehrmann defamation lawsuit to uncover her health, representation and relationships person each been affected by the past 5 years.

In her archetypal connection since Justice Michael Lee recovered Higgins had been raped by Lehrmann successful a ministerial bureau successful the aboriginal hours of March 23, 2019, she said nary judgement was ever going to alteration the information of her rape.

Brittany Higgins has made her archetypal nationalist comments since the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case, saying it is clip to heal.

In a historical determination connected Monday, Justice Lee upheld Ten and Wilkinson’s information defence to Lehrmann’s defamation assertion implicit an interrogation with Higgins broadcast on The Project connected February 15, 2021.

Lee was satisfied Ten and Wilkinson had proved to the civilian modular – connected the equilibrium of probabilities – that Lehrmann raped Higgins. He recovered that Lehrmann was “hell-bent connected having sex” with Higgins, had encouraged her to drink, and did “not attraction 1 mode oregon different whether Ms Higgins understood oregon agreed to what was going on”.

Higgins said portion her beingness had been upended by the events of the past 5 years, it was present clip to determination forward.

“I was raped. No judgement was ever going to alteration this truth. I lived with the shame, humiliation, and fearfulness of what telling my communicative would mean for my beingness and career, similar truthful galore different survivors,” she said.

Bruce Lehrmann departs tribunal aft the verdict connected Monday.

“My health, representation and relationships person been impacted by my rape.

“I was 24 erstwhile I was raped successful Parliament House. It has been 5 years of transgression and civilian trials and authorities inquiries for the information to yet beryllium heard. It is present clip to heal.”

In his judgment, Justice Lee dealt with the actions of rape victims towards their assailants, noting it was not antithetic for Higgins to person remained civilian towards Lehrmann successful the days aft the incident.

He said could “be readily characterised arsenic the actions of a pistillate who had not yet travel to presumption with what had happened to her, but needed to face the world that she had to enactment retired a mode of being successful the aforesaid nonrecreational bureau arsenic a antheral workfellow who had assaulted her”.

Higgins’ conflict implicit however to respond would “no uncertainty … resonate with galore women moving successful immoderate benignant of workplace who person had to find immoderate mode of coping with specified a predicament”.

Higgins said portion she did not hold with everything successful Lee’s judgment, the justness had acceptable a caller benchmark for however courts treated rape victims.

“Thanks to Justice Lee for his trauma-informed approach, recognising that reactions to battle tin alteration wildly,” she said.

“In doing so, I anticipation helium has acceptable a caller precedent for however courts see the testimonies of unfortunate survivors of intersexual assault.

“While I bash not hold with each of Justice Lee’s findings, I bash respect his observations astir the galore radical scarred and damaged successful the aftermath of my rape.”

Higgins was besides captious of the interrogation and entree fixed to Lehrmann by Channel Seven’s Spotlight program.

“I was devastated that a rapist was fixed a nationwide level to support his lies astir what happened. I spot that those who contributed successful immoderate mode to the programme volition bespeak connected their decision,” she said.

Higgins and her spouse David Sharaz are facing 2 abstracted defamation claims from erstwhile defence curate Linda Reynolds successful the WA Supreme Court implicit statements the mates published connected their abstracted societal media accounts.

Both Higgins and Sharaz person defended their respective cases, which are being heard concurrently owed to their overlap.

Fiona Brown extracurricular the Federal Court successful Sydney past year.

Higgins utilized her connection to accidental she was atrocious to some Reynolds and the minister’s erstwhile chief-of-staff Fiona Brown. In his judgment, Justice Lee said helium preferred the grounds of Brown to that of Lehrmann and Higgins wherever their accounts conflicted.

“Senator Reynolds and Fiona Brown person besides been wounded and for that I americium besides sorry,” she said.

“My perceptions and feelings astir what happened successful the days and weeks aft my rape are antithetic from theirs. I profoundly regret we person not yet recovered communal ground.

“I anticipation we tin resoluteness our differences with a amended knowing of each other’s experience.”

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