Bruce Lehrmann is forced to flee the cricket as a group of vigilantes abuses him – after his Channel Seven-sponsored house is robbed and a car is covered in SHRIMP
Bruce Lehrmann fled the Sydney Cricket Ground when a group of men spat and insulted him and his best friend, days after a woman threw eggs at his house on Christmas Day.
Mr Lehrmann was walking back to the SCG from the Entertainment Quarter with his friend Lewis at about 1.30pm on Friday during the third Test against Pakistan when four men, aged around 30, insulted him.
The patrons followed him for about 300 yards as they taunted him about Brittany Higgins' rape allegations, mocked his physical appearance, tried to spit on him and told him to jump off the top bay.
Mr. Lehrmann has always denied raping Ms. Higgins.
“Don't you know what consent is Bruce? You fucking fat bastard,” they scoffed.
“Keep your dick in your pants, you damn rapist.”
Bruce Lehrmann is pictured at the SCG on Thursday, the day before the men started abusing him
He entered the SCG grounds and went up the escalator as the group continued to verbally abuse him.
“Are you in the upper bay?” they shouted.
“You pr**k, jump off – we're ready to p*ss on you,” they shouted.
The altercation took place largely outside the SCG, but CCTV footage from inside the venue showed Mr Lehrmann re-entering the grounds and ascending the escalator at 1.34pm.
In security footage seen by ground staff, Mr Lehrmann appeared shocked as he reached the top of the escalator – and that was when the abuse turned to suggestions of self-harm.
He stopped, looked at his phone, and waited nervously for Lewis.
One member of the group taunted him to 'go back to your air-conditioned mansion, you p**k', adding that 'Channel Seven will protect you'.
Lehrmann's $2,000-a-week rental on Sydney's northern beaches was featured by the TV station for a year in return for two exclusive interviews on the Spotlight program.
He was so shocked by the incident at the SCG that he and his friend left the venue.
Bruce Lehrmann is pictured with his mother, Lynden Lehrmann, on Christmas Day
Mr Lehrmann's home on Sydney's northern beaches was entered by an irate stranger on Christmas Day
Network Seven will cover Mr Lehrmann's rent, worth $2,000 a week, in return for two exclusive interviews
Mr Lehrmann described the incident as 'abhorrent' and slammed the men for abusing him in front of children and their parents trying to enjoy the Pink Test, a special competition to raise money for breast cancer.
“The idiots' disgusting physical and verbal abuse, threats and taunts towards me are a reflection of the intellect and character of those guys,” he said.
'What is most worrying is that they saw fit to hurl the profanity-laden abuse around dozens of children and families who, like me, just wanted to enjoy a fun day at the cricket in support of Pink Test.'
In a statement, a spokesperson for Venues NSW – which operates the SCG – said: “Customer safety is our top priority.”
'We encourage customers to immediately report any anti-social behavior to customer service or crowd safety staff, or text the hotline displayed on the 1,200 television screens around the venue, as well as on the stadium's video boards.'
Customers who exhibit anti-social behavior could be hit with a two-year ban from the SCG.
Less than two weeks earlier, a woman pelted eggs at Mr. Lehrmann's home and threw shrimp shells over a neighbor's black Kia sedan, apparently thinking it was his.
Security footage showed the woman, aged around 40 and dressed in linen, arriving at Mr Lehrmann's home at around 10.30pm on Christmas Day.
Bruce Lehrmann, right, is pictured walking with his lawyer Steven Whybrow SC to the Federal Court for his defamation trial against Network Ten
Brittany Higgins, pictured outside the Federal Court in December, claims Lehrmann raped her at Parliament House in 2019. He denies the accusation
She then emptied a bag of shrimp into a neighbor's car before another car drove up the street.
The woman quickly jumped into the passenger seat of the small hatchback and fled the scene.
Mr. Lehrmann was not home at the time, but his mother Lynden Lehrmann, 65, woke up to what she initially thought sounded like gunshots hitting the house.
Two days later, on December 27, police were called to the property after reports of malicious damage.
“A malicious damage report has been made via the police helpline,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.
'Officers from the Northern Beaches Police Area Command are investigating.'
Mr Lehrmann was accused of raping Ms Higgins at Parliament House after a night out in 2019, which he strongly denies.
He pleaded not guilty ahead of a criminal trial in 2022, but the case collapsed due to juror misconduct and the charges were dropped entirely two months later due to fears for Ms Higgins' mental health.
In November last year, he sued Network Ten for defamation over an interview on The Project in 2021, in which Ms Higgins first made her rape allegations in an interview with Lisa Wilkinson.
He was not named in that interview but claimed friends and former colleagues at Parliament House were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.
The trial lasted a month and was widely reported in the media.