Bruce Lehrmann trial: Brittany Higgins texted a friend about alleged parliament house rape

A jury has been told that Brittany Higgins described herself as “as drunk as ever in her life” the night she claimed she was raped in Parliament House.

The court was also told that there are “massive holes” in Ms Higgins’ version of what happened and that she was “barely clear” at the time of the incident.

In his opening statement, Prosecutor Shane Drumgold SC told the jury that Ms Higgins’ degree of intoxication was important because it was relevant to her ability to consent.

Bruce Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent.

His trial began Tuesday in the ACT Supreme Court, overseen by Chief Justice Lucy McCallum.

Mr Drumgold outlined the prosecutors’ version of the events and the evidence that the jury will hear throughout the case.

He said on Friday 22 March 2019 that Mr Lehrmann and Ms Higgins – who worked as staff for former Liberal ministers Linda Reynolds and Steven Ciobo respectively – were drinking with colleagues in a bar in Canberra.

The pair then went to a popular nightclub with some colleagues before leaving together in a taxi on Saturday morning.

Ms Higgins thought she was on her way home but Mr Lehrmann said he had to stop by the parliament building to pick up some work, Mr Drumgold said.

The court was told that Mr. Lehrmann at the security gate to enter the building told the guards over the intercom that he was with Senator Reynolds and that they were picking up documents.

Mr Drumgold told the court that the guards who saw the couple entering the building saw that they were under the influence of alcohol.

Ms. Higgins claims that after entering Senator Reynolds’ office, she fell asleep on a couch and woke up to Mr. Lehrmann having sex with her.

Bruce Lehrmann (pictured center) arrives at the ACT Supreme Court in Canberra on Tuesday. The former Liberal Party staffer is accused of raping colleague Brittany Higgins in the parliament building in 2019, which he denies

After Mrs. Higgins said ‘no’ half a dozen times, Mr. Lehrmann left the building in an Uber and fell asleep again.

Mr Drumgold said she woke up alone in the office later that morning when a security guard checked on her.

In text messages after the alleged incident, Mr Drumgold said Ms Higgins told a friend she was “barely clear” at the time of the incident.

“If he (Lehrmann) thought it was okay, why would he just leave me there,” Ms Higgins said in the message.

Attorney Steven Whybrow said Mark Twain’s quote “never let the truth get in the way of a good story” was true in the case.

He said there were “huge gaps” in the version of events Higgins gave to police.

The project’s host, Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) may be called as a witness in Bruce Lehrmann’s trial over his alleged rape of Brittany Higgins, which he denies

Mr Whybrow said that while violence against women was an ‘underreported and under-persecuted scourge of our society’, the story Mrs Higgins had told was not true.

“This statement has no influence whatsoever on the discussions and the focus placed on these topics. We’ve all known for a while that these things are real,” he said.

Before the trial began, the chief judge reminded the jurors of the importance of impartiality.

Chief Justice McCallum labeled the trial somewhat as a “cause celebre” due to its high-profile nature.

“It is a fundamental requirement that a person charged with a serious criminal offense be tried by an impartial jury,” she said.

Senator Reynolds has been named as a witness in the trial, along with Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash and former Liberal MP Steven Ciobo.

Journalists Samantha Maiden and Lisa Wilkinson can also be called as witnesses.

The trial is expected to last four to six weeks.