A video published by news.com.au this morning shows former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann sitting on a barstool, tumbler of red wine in hand, grinning and singing his own rendition of The Clash’s classic, “I Fought The Law”.
“I fought the law… and Bruce won,” he sang, throwing his head back and laughing.
News.com.au says the video was filmed on the NRL grand final weekend when he was holidaying with mates on the Central Coast.
It’s a far cry from where Bruce Lehrmann is today, as the Lehrmann v Network Ten trial enters its fifth day at the Federal Court of Australia.
Lehrmann is suing Network Ten for defamation over an interview on The Project in February 2021 between journalist Lisa Wilkinson and Brittany Higgins.
He has always denied the allegations, and although the interview never named him, Lehrmann is arguing certain details in the interview made it clear it was him Higgins was accusing of raping her in Parlaiment House in March 2019.
Lehrmann has been cross-examined by Network Ten’s lawyer, Dr Matthew Collins KC, for two days.
Here’s what has been revealed so far.
He did not visit mother in Queensland
Fiona Brown, the chief-of-staff of Minister of Defence Linda Reynolds at the time, was Lehrmann’s boss in 2019.
Upon hearing of Lehrmann’s security breach, when he went to Parliament House after hours on the night of the alleged rape, Brown told Lehrmann to “pack his things and leave” – but to see her on the way out.
Lehrmann did pack his things, but left without meeting with Brown on his way out.
This came into question before the court in Monday’s cross-examination.
Collins: “You feared that Ms Brown was going to speak to Ms Higgins very shortly after you had been told to pack your things and leave… You feared that Ms Higgins would tell Ms Brown that you had sexually assaulted her.”
Lehrmann: “No, that’s ridiculous.”
One week on from Lehrmann leaving Parliament House, Brown requested to meet with Lehrmann to discuss the future of his employment in Minister Reynold’s office.
In a text message, Lehrmann told Brown he was in Queensland with his mother, “dealing with a sensitive family issue”.
He gave the same excuse in a letter to Minister Reynolds and Brown days later.
But the Federal Court heard on Monday that although he was “trying to make arrangements to get up there”, he was not in Queensland at the time.
Lehrmann: “There were some serious plans to do so, but I, of course, didn’t end up doing that.”
He lied about why he was in Parliament House that night
In presenting his case to the court with his lawyer, Steven Whybrow SC on Thursday, Lehrmann revealed that he did not tell the truth to Fiona Brown, Minister Reynolds or security staff as to why he was in Parliament House that night.
This point was raised again during cross examination on Monday, with Dr Collins, Network Ten’s lawyer.
While Lehrmann claims he returned to Parliament House to retrieve his house keys and was making notes on Question Time documents during the 45 minutes he was in Minister Reynolds office with Higgins, he told Brown and Minister Reynolds he had returned to the building after hours to “drink whiskey”.
Collins asked Lehrmann why he didn’t tell his employers the truth.
Lehrmann: “I can’t remember what my state of mind was then.”
Collins: “The reason you didn’t do it, Mr Lehrmann, is because it’s false, it’s a fabricated explanation.”
Lehrmann: “No, it’s not.”
Lehrmann gave an interview with Channel 7’s program Spotlight this year and, in court on Monday, admitted to lying on the program about why he falsely told Brown he was in Parliament House after hours to “drink whiskey”.
He told the court he lied on the program because the interview was “hastily arranged” and it was a “very nerve-racking time”.
Later, Collins then questioned before the court why Lehrmann told security staff at Parliament House he was going to “retrieve documents” instead of his house keys.
Collins: “If you had said you were going back to get your keys, the security officer who had escorted you to Minister Reynolds’s suite would have waited for you to retrieve your keys and then locked up and escorted you back to leave the building.”
Lehrmann: “No, I don’t agree with that.”
The Samantha Maiden article
In the hours prior to The Project interview, journalist Samantha Maiden from news.com.au published an article with allegations of rape from Brittany Higgins.
In presenting his case last week, Lehrmann said he did not know it was him that the article was referring to as the alleged rapist.
However, in a preliminary hearing in March, Lehrmann told the court a different story. He said he had an understanding that Higgins was referring to him in her allegations presented in Samantha Maiden’s article.
The revelation during the cross examination suggested two different stories from Lehrmann, who could not explain his conflicting answers.
Text messages published by the court between Lehrmann and his ex parliamentary colleagues and friends, John Macgowan and Harry Hughes, were also brought up in Monday’s cross examination.
The messages, exchanged after the news.com.au article and before The Project interview in 2021, showed Lehrmann calling the article “pretty slanderous” and a “pretty cooked allegation”.
“They wouldn’t name would they?” he asked in a text message to Macgowan.
When asked by Macgowan via text who he thought the alleged rapist was, he replied: “Not the faintest idea. I haven’t been approached by anyone.”
Collins: “He’s a good friend of yours?”
Lehrmann: “Not anymore.”
Lehrmann’s cross examination continues today. More information to come.