The detail of how Bruce Lehrmann, a former Australian government adviser raped his colleague, Brittany Higgins, inside a ministerial office in 2019, has emerged.
Though Lehrmann has consistently denied the accusation and has since filled defamation claims, but on Monday, Justice Michael Lee of Australia’s Federal Court dismissed the claim, finding he had raped Ms Higgins and told “deliberate lies”.
Lehrmann was accused of raping Higgins in March 2019, after both went drinking and clubbing with colleagues.
In an Australian civil trial, the standard of proof is on the balance of probabilities, while a criminal trial requires evidence beyond all reasonable doubt.
Justice Lee while delivering his ruling said: “I am satisfied that it is more likely than not that Mr Lehrmann’s state of mind was such that he was so intent upon gratification to be indifferent to Ms Higgins’ consent and hence went ahead with sexual intercourse without caring whether she consented.
“Having escaped the lion’s den, Mr Lehrmann made the mistake of coming back for his hat,” the judge said in his judgment, referring to the claimant’s decision to file the defamation case following the collapse of the criminal trial.
The judge added a ruling on legal costs, estimated to be millions of dollars, will be made later this month.
Lehrmann who has always denied any wrongdoing made no comment to reporters as he left the court.
In the criminal trial he pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual intercourse without consent and denied that any sexual activity occurred.
