Brittany Higgins confided her fears in a politician mate

Brittany Higgins told a Liberal MP during a phone call that she was worried her rape allegations would ‘define her’, a court has heard.

Bruce Lehrmann is accused of sexually assaulting the former Liberal staffer after a drunken night out ended in former defence minister Linda Reynolds’ parliamentary office in March 2019.

Mr Lehrmann, who worked with Ms Higgins at the time, pleaded not guilty and is being tried in the ACT Supreme Court.

On Monday, the court heard Ms Higgins was a volunteer in state Liberal MP Samuel O’Connor’s Gold Coast office in 2018, before she moved to Canberra to work in Parliament House.

Mr O’Connor, who is the member for Bonney on the Gold Coast, said Ms Higgins alluded to the alleged incident in text messages, but he ultimately found out during a phone call in April 2019.

At one stage, he told the court Ms Higgins described the alleged incident as a ‘super f***ed up thing that happened’. 

Samuel O’Connor (pictured with Brittany Higgins) had a phone call with Ms Higgins in April 2019 where she told him about her rape allegations

Samuel O'Connor said Ms Higgins described her rape allegation as a 'super f***ed up thing that happened' (Brittany Higgins is pictured outside court)

Samuel O’Connor said Ms Higgins described her rape allegation as a ‘super f***ed up thing that happened’ (Brittany Higgins is pictured outside court)

During the phone call, Mr O’Connor told the court that Ms Higgins said she had been out drinking with other staffers.

‘At the end of the night she got a lift home with another staffer from the office … She told me it was Bruce,’ he said.

Mr O’Connor recalled Ms Higgins was ‘hazy on the details’, but was ‘upset’ as she alleged to him that she was ‘raped in the minister’s office’.

‘I definitely remember her being worried this would define her,’ he said.

‘That she would be remembered for that and not being good at her job.’ 

He told the court Ms Higgins wanted him to let her know if rumours about her started to circulate.

‘She was asking me to let her know if I had heard anything about her,’ he said. 

Mr O’Connor told the court he knew Ms Higgins because they lived a street away from each other on the Gold Coast, before she started volunteering in his office.

Brittany Higgins is pictured at a racing event - centre, in white. Samuel O'Connor is on the far left

Brittany Higgins is pictured at a racing event – centre, in white. Samuel O’Connor is on the far left

He told the court that Ms Higgins was ‘excited’ before she moved to Canberra to work in Liberal frontbencher Steven Ciobo’s office in late 2018.

‘This was her dream,’ he said. ‘This was what what she loved doing.’

‘She got very into the whole Canberra thing – the intense place that it is down there. She was very positive.’ 

Earlier on Monday, the court heard Ms Higgins was ’embarrassed’ that a story could come out about her sneaking into Parliament with Lehrmann, more than a year before she went public accusing him of raping her that evening.

Senator Michaelia Cash, the former staffer’s ex-boss, told the court that fellow minister Linda Reynolds’ office had received a media inquiry about Ms Higgins in October 2019. 

Ms Higgins had worked for both politicians that year – first for defence industry minister Ms Reynolds as an assistant media adviser, until moving to Ms Cash’s office that same year. 

Ms Cash told the court that Ms Higgins was concerned the issue of the security breach, in March 2019, would be made public because the media enquiry was from a journalist from the Canberra Times.

Bruce Lehrmann (pictured leaving court) has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent

Bruce Lehrmann (pictured leaving court) has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent

‘She was embarrassed because it was in relation to herself and a security issue,’ Ms Cash said.

‘She and another staff member returned to the office after drinking … They were potentially intoxicated.

‘Ms Higgins fell asleep on the couch and I believe security found her the next day.’

Ms Cash’s chief of staff, Daniel Try, told the court he was notified by Ms Reynolds’ office that there had been a media enquiry about Ms Higgins, and that they would send someone around to talk to her.

Mr Try told the court the former defence minister did not go into detail, but she did say ‘it was not Brittany’s fault’.

He brought Ms Higgins into a board room and someone from Ms Reynolds’ office came to speak with Ms Higgins. 

Mr Try left the meeting room during that meeting, but noted Ms Higgins was upset when he returned.

Mr Try then brought Ms Higgins into a meeting with Ms Cash. Ms Higgins didn’t go into detail, but she said it was about a security issue that was dealt with at the time.

‘Brittany was quite upset and I didn’t think it was appropriate to press her for details,’ Mr try said.

The trial continues. 

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk