Bruce Lehrmann is sensationally asked whether he kissed Brittany Higgins and if they had consensual sex, and reveals what he really thinks about her multi million-dollar payout in his first-ever television interview.
Mr Lehrmann will break his two-year silence in an extended episode of 7News Spotlight at 7pm on Sunday – where journalist Liam Bartlett will ask tough questions about the night Ms Higgins alleges he raped her.
The former parliamentary staffer has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and claims he had no sexual contact with Ms Higgins.
In a promo released by Channel Seven on Thursday, Mr Lehrmann appeared uncomfortable as he was asked to confirm whether Ms Higgins was ‘lying’ when she alleged he assaulted her in Parliament House in 2019. His response was not broadcast.
Mr Bartlett spoke with Sunrise hosts David Koch and Natalie Barr on Friday morning and said Mr Lehrmann had been waiting ‘a long time’ to tell his side of the story.
Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) was interviewed for an extended episode of 7News Spotlight, which will air on Sunday
‘I think he has wanted to get his side of the story out for a long time, to have his say, because he seen his accuser have her say in many different public platforms, on a national stage, for a long time now,’ Mr Bartlett said.
‘I think his legal team probably have held back for a certain amount of that time.’
When asked why Mr Lehrmann didn’t testify during his criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court in October, Mr Bartlett pointed out that his interview with police was aired before the jury.
During that interview, Mr Lehrmann said he and Ms Higgins did enter the ministerial suite of Parliament House in the early hours of March 24 in 2019 – he claimed they went in separate directions and he caught an Uber home by himself.
However, Ms Higgins alleged she woke up and found Mr Lehrmann having sex with her in Linda Reynolds’ office, who was their boss and the defence industry minister at the time.
He was never called as a witness during the trial.
Further, it was revealed Mr Lehrmann is ‘very angry’ about the fact that former Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologised to Ms Higgins, even though her allegations were unproven.
‘I think that’s fair play to a large degree, forget about the names of the players involved in,’ Mr Bartlett said.
Brittany Higgins (second from the left) alleged Mr Lehrmann raped her. He denies the allegations
‘Any premise that circumvents system of justice by acknowledging that the particular person is a victim before there is a trial to determine whether or not they are the victim – makes a national apology – I think that’s pretty dangerous stuff.’
He also addressed the hefty payment Ms Higgins’ received from the Commonwealth for sexual discrimination, disability discrimination, victimisation in the workforce – all for which she received up to $3million.
‘The money aspect is very interesting isn’t it? Because we know that Brittany Higgins was already paid a large amount of compensation for her claim against the government on a number of different levels.’
‘None of those details were made public.’
Mr Bartlett said Mr Lehrmann was ‘understandably he was apprehensive and nervous’ about the upcoming feature, ‘but very determined to get his part out’.
Despite speculation that Mr Lehrmann was paid to do the interview, a network spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that was not the case.
‘7NEWS Spotlight made no payment to Bruce Lehrmann for the interview, however the program assisted with accommodation as part of the filming of the report,’ they said.
Mr Lehrmann was tried in a 12-day hearing in October last year, but a mistrial was declared after a jury member brought banned reading material into the court.
Shane Drumgold, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, dropped the case altogether in December due to concerns over Ms Higgins’ mental health.
Mr Lehrmann has always strenuously maintained his innocence.
The Bruce Lehrmann interview will be aired by Spotlight on Channel Seven at 7pm on Sunday evening
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk