Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, Australian judge finds, junking ex-adviser’s defamation case

A former government adviser raped a colleague in a Parliament House office, an Australian judge found on Monday, dismissing a defamation suit in a case that has gripped the nation.

“My conclusion on rape. Mr Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins,” he told the court in comments that were live-streamed to tens of thousands of viewers.

“I hasten to stress this is a finding on the balance of probabilities.”

Lehrmann made no comment to reporters as he left the court. He has previously denied all wrongdoing.

“Having escaped the lion’s den, Mr Lehrmann made the mistake of coming back for his hat,” Lee said in his judgment, referring to Lehrmann’s decision to file the defamation case.

Lee will rule who will pay legal costs of both sides, estimated to be in the millions of dollars, at a later date.

Lehrmann’s case has turned attention to defamation law in Australia, which has no written provision for freedom of speech in its constitution. Media organisations say defamation laws overwhelmingly favour the accuser.

“This judgment is a triumph for truth,” Network Ten said in a statement. “It is clear however that Australia’s defamation laws remain highly restrictive.”

The case also embroiled two of Australia’s largest media organisations after Higgins, who waived her right to anonymity during the initial criminal trial, gave the interview to Network Ten about her experience.

During the defamation trial, the court was told lurid details of how producers at rival TV network Seven spent thousands of dollars on drugs and sex workers in a bid to secure an exclusive interview with Lehrmann.