The trial for the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins is coming to an end with the defence set to complete its closing argument.
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent.
He has undergone a nearly three week criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court.
Closing arguments began on Tuesday after the prosecution completed its case with evidence from more than 20 witnesses.
Prosecutor Shane Drumgold urged the jury to disregard discussions of political movements and workplace cultures sparked by the case.
He said the case was not about the culture inside Parliament House or the Me Too movement, but about what happened on a couch inside a minister’s office in the early hours of Saturday, March 23, 2019.
Mr Drumgold said Ms Higgins had been a credible and honest witness whose version of events that night had not wavered.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor said Lehrmann had given inconsistent accounts about his reasons for being at parliament on the night of the alleged assault to the security guards, to his boss and to the police.
He suggested Lehrmann’s intent was to go to Parliament House so that he could be alone with the “drunk” and “vulnerable” Ms Higgins.
Mr Drumgold also said after the alleged rape Ms Higgins was caught in the middle of “strong political forces”.
“We say she was right to be scared, she was right to be cautious and she was right to move slowly and carefully,” he said.
But Lerhmann’s defence lawyer Steven Whybrow attacked Ms Higgins’ credibility, saying a closer look at her evidence made the prosecution’s case against his client “totally untenable”.
He suggested Ms Higgins had motive to make up the allegation because she feared she would lose her staffer job after being found asleep in a ministerial office in the middle of the night.
“Is there a reasonable possibility this complaint is being made because her ‘dream job’ is, from her perspective, in jeopardy?” Mr Whybrow said.
Mr Whybrow also suggested Ms Higgins fabricated doctor appointments at the time to “make it more believable” that she had been sexually assaulted.
He said there was no record of Ms Higgins attending these appointments and the reason she didn’t go was because she didn’t need to.
“She says things that superficially support her position and then they turn out to be not reliable,” he said
Mr Whybrow is expected to continue with his closing argument on Wednesday.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
© AAP 2022
