26-year-old man accused of raping Brittany Higgins to appear before court

26-year-old man accused of raping Brittany Higgins to appear before court

Brittany Higgins

A 26-year-old man accused of raping Brittany Higgins in a minister’s office in parliament house in 2019 has been summonsed to appear before court.

Police will allege the man had sexual intercourse with a woman without consent at Parliament House on March 23, 2019. Officers served the man’s legal representation with a summons to appear before the ACT Magistrates Court on September 16.

Detectives from ACT Policing’s Criminal Investigations – Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Team first received a report in April 2019 about the alleged rape. The investigation remained open and a formal complaint was made in February 2021.

The maximum penalty for the charge of sexual intercourse without consent is 12 years imprisonment.  

In February this year, Brittany Higgins went public with allegations she had been raped in then Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ office on the night of March 23, 2019. Her story has propelled an uproar about the treatment of women in politics.

At the time, Higgins said she felt as if she could not make a formal complaint about the alleged rape without experiencing pressure to leave her job. Higgins has since resigned from her role as a media advisor to the government.

If you need help and advice call the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service 1800Respect on 1800 737 732

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