A Network Seven credit card has been revealed to have been used to book a $1000 Thai masseuse for Bruce Lehrmann, before staff tried to reverse the charges.
The charge from a Spotlight card took place in November 2022, and was made by an employee who has since left Network Seven – the broadcaster who televised an interview with Lehrmann, two years after it was alleged that the former political staffer raped his colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019.
It’s been reported that after the employee admitted to using the credit card to pay for the masseuse, Steve Jackson, Spotlight’s producer, suggested the employee ask the masseuse to reverse the transactions the next day.
Images of a text exchange between the pair shows Jackson telling the employee to “pay cash instead” to remove the transaction from the credit card in keeping with the network’s expense policies. Jackson also suggested to the employee that the masseuse should be paid “a bonus” of $250 to facilitate the different payment method.
Jackson was not present on the night in question, and it’s reported he did not have knowledge of the use of the credit card when it was charged. Executive producer of Spotlight, Mark Llewellyn also reportedly didn’t consent or have knowledge of the charge.
News.com.au reports that Seven has already dealt with the incident.
Lehrmann has told The Australian that he did not get a massage but that he was in Sydney on the night of the charge and did meet with Seven producers at the time in question.
Two Thai masseuses were booked– one for Lehrmann and the other for a Seven employee. The total amount paid on the Spotlight credit card came to $2940 in multiple transactions of $1000.
At the time of this credit card charge, Lehrmann had recently learned that the rape trial following Brittany Higgins’ allegations had collapsed as a result of juror misconduct. Lehrmann was still facing the prospect of a second trial, which was then dropped over concerns of the impact of a second trial on Higgins’ mental health.
One year later, it emerged Seven’s Spotlight program had been paying Lehrmann’s rent for a year as part of an arrangement to deliver the two-part interview he gave.
Lehrmann is currently suing Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson for defamation, with a verdict set to be handed down on 4 April.