Brittany Higgins texted Congressman Sam Connor about Bruce Lehman’s rape allegations

Bruce Lehman He has been accused of sexually assaulting a former liberal staffer in the office of Senator Linda Reynolds in the early hours of March 23, 2019.

Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to one count of nonconsensual sex.

The ACT Supreme Court today Higgins After working for O’Connor as a volunteer in 2018, he took a job in the office of liberal front-runner Steven Sioboh later that year.

O’Connor said today that she believes Higgins “hinted” the incident in a text message in late March 2019, speaking of the “super crazy” incident before revealing what she said. .

“She was pretty vague about the details. But she remembered him raping her in the minister’s office,” O’Connor told the court.

O’Connor said he first met Higgins because she lived nearby, joined the Liberal Party and was “a volunteer around the local office here.”

When she applied for a job in Canberra, he said it was her “dream job”.

“I think I might have been helpful. She’s only a few years younger than me, so we connect very well on that level,” he said.

“This was her dream. This was what she loved to do. She was into all things Canberra.

O’Connor said he learned of the allegations in stages.

“At the end of March 2019, after reviewing my text messages hinted at by Brittany, I was told.

“She described it as a very messed up thing that happened.”

Higgins also expressed concern that people were gossiping about her.

“She asked me to let her know if I heard anything about her,” he said.

“She wondered if I had heard anything about her around.”

They eventually spoke on the phone about the incident.

“She said she wanted to talk on the phone. She indicated that she was out drinking with other staff members,” he said.

“At the end of the night, she went home with another staff member.

“She was pretty vague about the details. But she remembered him raping her in the minister’s office.

“I distinctly remember her worrying that this would define her.

The trial, which enters its third week in the ACT Supreme Court today, is likely to end this week, jurors have been told.

The trial continues.