Brittany Higgins shares video from inside her hospital ward
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Brittany Higgins has shared images from her hospital bed for the first time since she was admitted, thanking her family and friends for helping her celebrate her 28th birthday.
The former Liberal staffer has been in a Queensland mental health clinic since the alleged sexual assault charge against her former colleague, Bruce Lehrmann, was dropped on Friday.
The ACT’s director of public prosecution, Shane Drumgold, decided not to proceed with a second trial fearing it would adversely affect Ms Higgins’ mental health, after the first was aborted in October due to jury misconduct. .
Daily Mail Australia reported on Wednesday that Ms Higgins’ birthday had started when her boyfriend David Sharaz bought her a coffee and delivered it to her bedside.
Later that afternoon, she uploaded an Instagram story, which she filmed from her bed in the hospital ward.
Her mother, Kelly Higgins, waved at the camera and another friend could be seen sitting in front of a table littered with balloons and flowers.
David Sharaz is pictured with Brittany Higgins. He uploaded pictures of them together for his 28th birthday.
Mr. Sharaz also posted a heartfelt birthday post for his ‘soulmate’ on his own Instagram profile (pictured)
She captioned the video: “My friends and family are the best.”
Mr. Sharaz also posted an emotional birthday post for his ‘soul mate’.
‘Happiest of birthdays to my soul mate, Brittany-My-God-She’s-Beautiful-Higgins. We are so lucky to have you.
“Blessed for your bravery, your dignity and a stamina that is the closest thing to the superhuman I will ever witness,” he wrote.
‘I know this was not the birthday celebration we were hoping for: a shitty morning coffee at the hospital. But trust me, better days are ahead, beautiful. They just are.
He thanked Mrs Higgins for her ‘kindness and love’, saying that she was the ‘greatest person’ he had ever met.
Kelly Higgins (left), Brittany’s mother, could be seen in her hospital room. The room was decorated with flowers and balloons.
David Sharaz (pictured with Brittany Higgins) uploaded a series of photos for Ms Higgins’ birthday on Wednesday.
It was alleged that Mr Lehrmann raped her inside Parliament in March 2019.
Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to nonconsensual sex at trial and has vigorously denied the allegations against him.
His birthday celebrations come just days after it was revealed that his lawyers were preparing to start civil court proceedings against the Commonwealth and his former bosses, Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash.
Their attorneys have sent documents to all parties that state the intent to sue for sexual harassment, sex discrimination, disability discrimination, neglect, and victimization.
She will claim $2.5 million for future economic losses, up to $100,000 for past economic losses, $100,000 for general damages, $20,000 for future assistance with chores, and $150,000 for past and future out-of-pocket expenses.
An official claim has yet to be filed as the parties involved prepare to start mediation talks on December 13.
On Wednesday, Ms Higgins’ boyfriend, David Sharaz, uploaded an Instagram story wishing her a happy birthday.
Brittany Higgins spent her birthday in the hospital with her mother Kelly Higgins (pictured), a friend and her boyfriend.
Noor Blumer, a founding partner of Blumers Lawyers, is understood to have been quietly negotiating the claim since February. She has declined to comment on the matter or any mediation talks.
Ms Higgins’ lawyer, Leon Zwier, who supported her during the criminal case in Canberra, is aware of the claim.
Daily Mail Australia first reported on Tuesday that Lehrmann is deciding whether to sue Lisa Wilkinson, the producer behind The Project (Rove McManus’s Roving Enterprises), Network Ten and parent company Paramount.
Ms Higgins first alleged she was raped by a ‘male colleague’ during a TV interview on The Project with Ms Wilkinson in February 2021, later won by current affairs show Logie.
Sources with knowledge of the situation said Lehrmann will say he did not have an opportunity to respond to the allegations made on the show.
Lehrmann was not publicly named as Higgins’ alleged rapist until six months later, when he was indicted for sexual assault.
However, Channel 10 has also insisted that its news team approached Lehrmann for comment.
A Channel 10 spokesman said on Tuesday: “As usual, comments were requested but not provided. Red 10 has not received notice of any claim or proceeding.