Linda Reynolds’ defamation case against her former colleague Brittany Higgins continues in the Supreme Court of Western Australia from 10.30am local time (12.30pm AEST).
The case revolves around social media posts made by Ms Higgins and her husband, David Sharaz, in 2022 and 2023, which the Liberal senator says damaged her reputation.
In April, a federal court judge ruled that Ms Higgins was likely raped by her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann in the Houses of Parliament in March 2019. The rape occurred on a couch in Ms Reynolds’ office.
Ms Higgins has long maintained that Ms Reynolds and her former chief of staff Fiona Brown did not support her after her attack. Ms Reynolds and Ms Brown have maintained that they did.
Social media posts criticised Ms Reynolds’ handling of the rape allegations.
The trial began on Friday and will last four weeks.
Ms Reynolds began her testimony on Monday, which will last until about 11:30 a.m. local time.
Mrs Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, will then begin cross-examination.
On Tuesday, Reynolds told the court she felt threatened by Higgins’ current husband David Sharaz when he allegedly posted defamatory messages about her online.
Mr Sharaz uploaded a number of messages about Ms Reynolds between 2022 and 2023. According to the senator, ‘it scared me’ because she felt like she was being stalked.
She specifically referenced a 2022 post in which Sharaz had posted a screenshot of a press release on the senator’s website titled “Empowering Women.”
In the post he wrote, “I see you Linda.”
Ms Reynolds told the court on Tuesday that ‘it was creepy and threatening.’
“When someone says that – I get you, Linda – apart from the stalking nature of the comments on these posts, it’s a horrible thing to say. I was angry and a little uncomfortable.”
“It’s a subtle reminder: I’m watching you. It was based on the lies they’ve been spreading for a while.”
Ms Reynolds also spoke through tears as she described the days and weeks after she was accused of covering up Ms Higgins’ rape.
The Liberal Party senator has consistently denied trying to cover up Ms Higgins’ rape.
When Ms Higgins first came forward with her rape allegations in 2021, Ms Reynolds was questioned about them on Question Time, but ruled that the rape case was a criminal offence and should not be prosecuted in Parliament House.
“There are no words to describe what it was like to be accused of covering up the rape of a young woman in my office, in a way that I knew was not true,” she told the court.
‘I could barely process it mentally. Suddenly, in a matter of days, I had gone from being a senator and minister who did her job and did it well, to being a person who was nationally reviled for doing something so despicable.’
She said her peers viewed her differently, with some distancing themselves from her because they wondered if she had actually tried to cover up the rape.
“I have said time and again that this is not a case that should be prosecuted by Parliament. This is a criminal case and it is Brittany’s responsibility to tell the story,” she told the court.