Bruce Lehrmann’s barrister Steve Whybrow has confronted Brittany Higgins’ mother about text messages she exchanged with her daughter where she complained she was more interested in “Lisa Wilkinson” than her mum.
Kelly Higgins was confronted over the messages while giving evidence at the defamation trial today. Mr Lehrmann is suing Network 10 and the ABC over allegations he raped Ms Higgins. He is also taking action against Wilkinson over an interview with Brittany Higgins on The Project in 2021.
Giving evidence, Kelly Higgins said her daughter was “withdrawing” and was hard to reach.
“I’m doing my best,’’ Brittany Higgins wrote to her mother at the time.
“You’re choosing to cut me out. Your choice. Can’t even return my texts or answer my calls.
“If I was Lisa Wilkinson, or a journalist, no problem.
“I’m just your mother who lives across the road and is trying to be here, who also lives alone.”
Ms Higgins said at the time her daughter had lived with her for about a month and then moved across the road into an apartment nearby.
‘A mother’s worst nightmare’
While giving evidence this afternoon Kelly Higgins said her daughter’s rape was “a mother’s worst nightmare” and it led to changes in Brittany’s personality.
She said her daughter told them that there was “an incident” at Parliament House but she told her “please leave it” and she didn’t want to talk about it.
“This was a complete change in her communication with us,’’ she said.
Previously, Ms Higgins said her daughter was a confident person.
“She was very active. She was very physical. She was studying for her degree and she would volunteer,’’ she said.
“She travelled and she did some incredible things. She had a vivacious personality and she was loving her life and was very independent, very capable.”
After she moved to Canberra they stayed in touch. However, in late March, 2019 she noted a change in her personality.
“It was towards the end of March and probably April, Brittany became very withdrawn,’’ she said. “She wasn’t communicating as frequently. She seemed extremely detached.”
It wasn’t until November, 2019, that she gave an account of what had happened that night and alleged she was raped.
“She was awakened with pressure and pain on her leg. He was on top of her raping her,’’ Ms Higgins said. “Did she actually use the word, ‘he was raping me?’”
“Yes,’’ Ms Higgins said.
“He continued to rape her and ignore her. And then he left.”
Ms Higgins said Brittany found a jacket inside the ministerial suite “to cover herself with some dignity.”
“I had just been told a mother’s worst nightmare. I wanted to know why nobody called an ambulance and got her to a hospital.
“She said, ‘there was no one to help me’.”
Ms Higgins said her daughter was basically living with her for the last three years.
“I didn’t recognise her. She had no capacity. Her joy was gone, her personal happiness was gone.
“She didn’t want to do anything for herself. The curtains were drawn and she didn’t want to go anywhere.
“And I understand everybody sees her when she goes out in public, but that’s a very different woman from the woman that is at home. She is a broken soul.”
Barrister clashes with Brittany Higgins’ mum
Mr Whybrow confronted Kelly Higgins over her dealings with a police officer in 2021.
“On the 23rd of June 2021, a police officer by the name of Trent Madders rang you in the afternoon to discuss with you potentially giving a statement or an interview,’’ Mr Whybrow said.
“Correct,’’ she replied.
“Were you still in a relationship with Mr Genc at that time?,’’ Mr Whybrow asked.
“And he was present at the time that the police contacted you?.”
“I believe he was in the apartment,’’ she replied.
“And were you aware that immediately after speaking to you, Detective Madders then rang Mr Genc?”
“I want to suggest to you that the conversation you relayed to his honour that you say occurred on the 21st of November with Mr Genc did not occur,’’ Mr Whybrow said.
“That’s incorrect,’’ she replied.
“Why did you tell his honour that your concern that evening was about why an ambulance had not been called for her?’’ he asked.
“That was my question to her,’’ she replied.
‘Something was wrong’: Higgins’ dad gives evidence
Brittany Higgins’ dad, Matthew, also gave evidence revealing his daughter became withdrawn after the alleged incident.
“I felt something was wrong. But I didn’t know what was wrong,’’ he said.
“As a dad, I never try to bring things out, I always let my daughter come to me.”
Mr Higgins said he didn’t push the issue.
“I am not that sort of a curious dad in a sense. Hindsight is a different thing.”
Mr Higgins did not say she had been raped until some months later. But much later, she disclosed an allegation. Mr Higgins said it was closer to the story going public.
“She said she had been raped,’’ Mr Higgins said.
When asked what words she used, he replied, “those words.”
Mr Higgins said before she told him she asked him to “keep his cool.”
“I pretty well shut down,’’ he said.
During cross examination, barrister Steve Whybrow asked, that you “obviously want to support your daughter as much as you can.”
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“I love my daughter,’’ he said.
Mr Whybrow then asked him a range of questions about what happened when he met his daughter in Canberra and his claim that his daughter seemed to be behaving out of character because she didn’t catch up early in the morning.
“I am a surfer. I get up at 5:45am in the morning,’’ he said.
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