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Lisa Wilkinson has spoken out after profitable the defamation case introduced ahead by Bruce Lehrmann – after a choose discovered he raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament Home in 2019.
Mr Lehrmann was suing Community Ten and Wilkinson for defamation over a February 2021 report on The Challenge during which Brittany Higgins claimed he raped her in a Parliament Home workplace virtually two years prior.
Delivering his judgement, Justice Michael Lee discovered Mr Lehrmann was detached as to whether a drunk Brittany Higgins consented or not earlier than he raped her at Parliament Home.
‘Mr Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins,’ Justice Lee of the evening as he dominated in favour of Ten.
Exterior courtroom, a vindicated Ms Wilkinson mentioned: ‘Immediately the federal courtroom has discovered that I revealed a real story a couple of rape at a federal politician’s workplace in March 2019.
‘I sincerely hope the judgment provides energy to ladies across the nation.
Lisa Wilkinson smiled and thanked the general public as she received a defamation case introduced ahead by Community 10
Lisa Wilkinson (proper) is pictured alongside her barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC
‘I am additionally so grateful to have had the advantage of our unbiased authorized crew’.
She thanked her barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, her supportive household and pals and ‘beneficiant’ members of the general public who typically method her in tears.
‘Her experience and sensible council have been a supply of ongoing energy to me for the previous 14 months.
‘All through each step of this course of I’ve been surrounded by the love of my extremely supportive household.
‘In addition to extremely supportive pals and colleagues. I can by no means thank them sufficient.
‘I additionally wished to say how grateful I’m to members of the general public who approached me virtually each single day to specific typically by means of tears their unwavering assist.’
Bruce Lehrmann did not say a phrase as he charged by means of the press pack following the ruling from Justice Lee
In distinction, Mr Lehrmann did not say a phrase as he charged by means of the press pack following the ruling.
The previous Liberal staffer sat together with his head bowed whereas listening to the choose’s findings.
‘He was a 23-year-old male dishonest on his girlfriend, having simply ‘attached’ with a girl he discovered sexually engaging,’ Justice Lee mentioned.
‘Human expertise suggests what he then wished to occur isn’t precisely shrouded in thriller.’
The choose mentioned Mr Lehrmann was ‘hellbent on having intercourse with a girl he discovered sexually engaging, had been mutually passionately kissing and touching … and knew had lowered inhibition.’
‘He didn’t care come what may whether or not Ms Higgins understood or consented to what was occurring.
After a number of hours of rationalization, Justice Lee got here to the conclusion: ‘Mr Lehrmann did rape Brittany Higgins’
Mr Lehrmann launched defamation proceedings after the felony trial fell by means of. The choose mentioned of that call: ‘Having escaped the lion’s den, Mr Lehrmann made the error to return again for his hat’
If the 28-year-old had received his defamation case, he would solely have been entitled to a ‘very modest’ quantity of $20,000 in damages given the restricted nature of any damage from Ten’s reporting, Justice Lee mentioned.
Whereas a Logies speech by Lisa Wilkinson over The Challenge section derailed felony proceedings in opposition to Lehrmann and denied him the fitting to a good trial, this gave his authorized crew extra time to assault Ms Higgins’ allegations.
The felony trial in opposition to Lehrmann was deserted in 2022 with no findings made in opposition to him.
‘Having escaped the lions’ den, Mr Lehrmann made the error of going again for his hat,’ Justice Lee mentioned.
Justice Lee described each Lehrmann and Ms Higgins as ‘unreliable historians’ when recounting what occurred on that fateful evening.
The choose mentioned Ms Higgins had been unfastened with the reality concerning allegations made to Ten in 2021 that members of the then-coalition authorities had sought to silence her in reporting the alleged rape.
However Justice Lee discovered that any incorrect statements made to the police in 2019 weren’t inconsistent with remarks being made by a real sufferer of sexual assault.
The choose additionally slammed Ten for its conduct after Wilkinson made a Logie speech the place she hailed Higgins’ braveness simply eight-days earlier than the felony trial of Lehrmann.
The choose identified that Ms Wilkinson did search recommendation, however Community Ten failed her by suggesting she ship the speech in assist of Ms Higgins.
‘The conduct of Ten … was grossly improper and unjustifiable.’
