Bruce Lehrmann

Ex-Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has given evidence in court for the first time in a case related to the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins.

Mr Lehrmann has consistently denied the allegations, telling the court he had to check-in at North Shore Hospital as a result of the “intense media scrutiny” and then leave his Sydney home, moving in with his mother in Toowoomba. Lawyers for Ten and News argue that when Mr Lehrmann spoke to Mr Korn, he believed there would be no charges brought against him, and it was unreasonable for him to wait so long to bring the defamation lawsuits. Despite telling his girlfriend that he was up for “millions” in defamation, he said he had not received this advice from Mr Korn but was merely trying to calm down his upset partner. In his evidence, Mr Lehrmann said he had been suspended from his job at British American Tobacco after a News article on the rape allegations in February 2021 and had swiftly contacted Mr Korn for advice about any looming criminal matters. Mr Lehrmann took the witness stand in the Federal Court on Thursday, saying he was “outraged” when Ms Higgins’ allegations were aired in the media. Wilkinson’s barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC said there were inconsistencies between the messages sent by Mr Lehrmann about Mr Korn’s advice and what he told his solicitor Paul Svilans, his instructing solicitor in the defamation case.

On February 15, 2021, Mr Lehrmann sat down with his solicitor Warwick Korn in his Sydney office and fumed as Brittany Higgins accused an unnamed figure ...

Both actors were accused of misdemeanours, and sued media outlets for publishing the allegations. The following day, Mr Lehrmann checked himself into Royal North Shore Hospital for psychiatric treatment where he was placed under '30-minute' observations. He then explained he intended to sue for defamation at the time, but said he didn't have the financial capacity to pay for a defamation lawyer. Meanwhile, barristers for the broadcaster and news website argued he should not be allowed to sue for defamation because it was reasonable for him to have filed the lawsuit within the first year. Bruce Lehrmann (pictured, centre, on Thursday) made up a version of what was happening in a meeting with his lawyer for the sake of his girlfriend, Greta Sinclair, the Federal Court heard Text messages emerged where Mr Lehrmann told Ms Sinclair that he was having a 'glass of scotch' in Mr Korn's office while waiting for Lisa Wilkinson's interview with Ms Higgins on the current affairs show.