Political staffer raped colleague in Australian parliament office, judge finds in landmark defamation case

Bruce Lehrmann arrives at the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney. Photo: Reuters

Alasdair Pal

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.

Bruce Lehrmann, a staff member in a previous government, brought a defamation suit against Australian media company Network Ten after it aired an interview with his accuser, Brittany Higgins, in 2021. Justice Michael Lee of Australia's Federal Court said on Monday he had found Lehrmann raped Higgins on the lower "balance of probabilities" standard used in civil trials, rather than that of "beyond all reasonable doubt" used in criminal trials.