One-time work colleague Bruce Lehrmann is charged with sexual activity with out consent. He has pleaded not responsible and denies having intercourse with Higgins.
On Friday throughout a heated change, Lehrmann’s defence lawyer Steven Whybrow put to Higgins she pretended to have physician’s appointments within the week after the alleged assault to “bolster” her story.
Higgins earlier advised the court docket she made a number of physician’s appointments with the intention of going however couldn’t deliver herself to attend them.
“I meant to do the proper factor however each time I went house I used to be collapsing and unable to get off the bed as a result of I used to be so deeply depressed as a result of I had been assaulted at work by a colleague,” she advised the court docket.
Whybrow requested Higgins if she did not go to the physician as a result of she hadn’t had intercourse with anyone on the evening she alleges she was raped.
“Nothing you’re saying proper now’s true in anyway and it is deeply insulting,” Higgins stated.
“I do not know should you’ve ever gone by a trauma earlier than however confronting it head on with professionals is a very troublesome factor to do.”
Higgins will even be questioned about her declare she tried to organise a psychiatrist appointment after the alleged rape however was advised there was a two-month wait.
Whybrow put to Higgins that she was supplied an earlier appointment inside a month of her first question however she stated she couldn’t recall.
“I feel I perhaps have escalated it sooner or later however on the unique telephone name, they stated two months,” she stated.
She stated she had been about to depart for Perth to work on the election marketing campaign with then defence trade minister Linda Reynolds and a psychiatrist appointment in Canberra “wouldn’t have been possible”.
Higgins was additionally questioned about her delay in offering the police together with her telephone when she reopened the criticism towards Lehrmann in 2021.
She admitted she had cleared the telephone of some textual content messages in addition to photographs of herself with Liberal ministers or holding alcohol however denied she was attempting to withhold proof from police.
“It wasn’t with the intent of preserving issues from police however it was sort of purging issues from my life,” she stated.
“I did not need to have a look at politicians in my digital camera roll anymore. I simply wished them gone.”
Chief Justice Lucy McCallum reminded the jury to not learn media stories concerning the trial or focus on something with individuals at house.
“That will be so unfair to Mr Lehrmann … it may solely detract from the duty that you’ve,” she stated.
The trial is estimated to run for at the least one other 5 weeks.
