Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial LIVE updates: Why the livestream may be CUT this week – as TV producers and a politician are called to testify

Sam O’Connor told the Federal Court on Monday that and Brittany Higgins discussed the possibility of going to the police with her rape allegations, but she didn’t want to due to publicity.

The Queensland MP is being cross-examined by Bruce Lehrmann’s barrister Steven Whybrow SC.

Mr Whybrow asked about various phone conversations and texts he and Ms Higgins sent in March and April 2019 – in the weeks after the alleged assault.

He has lost all their texts, but was able to recall the substance of various phone calls they had at around that period.

Mr O’Connor distinctly recalled Ms Higgins was resistant to going to police because ‘she was concerned about being known’ for her rape allegations.

She didn’t want it to ‘define’ her and she didn’t want to be ‘in the public eye’.

He said: ‘That was her concern because knew it would be a major story.’

Mr O’Connor couldn’t recall Ms Higgins telling him a security guard found her naked in Linda Reynolds’ office in the early hours of March 23, 2019.

He also couldn’t recall Ms Higgins telling him Ms Reynolds regarded her as ‘toxic’ while they were in Perth together for the 2019 federal election.

Queensland MP Samuel O’Connor knew Brittany Higgins before she moved to Canberra to work for the Liberal party. They are pictured together below.

He told the Federal Court on Monday that Ms Higgins sent him a text on April 19, 2019 – a few weeks after the alleged rape – that said: ‘This super f***ed up thing happened.’

They then had a phone conversation during which she detailed her allegations.

Mr O’Connor told the court Ms Higgins explained she was out with colleagues when Mr Lehrmann ‘took her back to Parliament and he raped her’.

‘I absolutely remember the word “rape” – that’s not something you forget,’ he said.

‘And she absolutely did say that.’

He had worked in Parliament before and told the court he thought it was strange to return to the building that early on a Saturday morning, particularly when it wasn’t close to budget week or Question Time.

‘In subsequent conversations we talked about reporting it to police but she was concerned about the implications of that,’ he said.

Mr O’Connor told the court she felt as though she had been ‘punted’ to Western Australia with her boss, Linda Reynolds, for the federal election in 2019 because she was ‘away from the action’.

He recalled her saying she didn’t want to go public with her allegations and was very surprised when, in early 2021, she told him she was going to detail her claims on television.

Read Related Also: Croc wrangler's widow 'suffered nervous shock'

Justice Michael Lee ordered Google LLC, which is based in the US, to provide subscriber details and logins to the ‘Feminism Debuked’ YouTube channel.

The channel has shared nine videos with footage from the case, which is unlawful.

If Google provides those details, Justice Lee will identify the person behind the channel and they will have to front court and explain why they should not be charged with contempt of court.

The public is allowed to watch the court proceedings but they are not allowed to record the live stream.

Fiona Brown, Linda Reynolds’ former chief of staff, will evidence this week.

Ms Brown’s doctors advised her not to give evidence due to mental health struggles, but her barrister told the court she would like to contribute.

The court’s livestream may be temporarily disabled while she is cross-examined.

Ms Brown was working for Ms Reynolds when she took over the defence industry portfolio in early 2019.

Brittany Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann were working as advisors for Ms Reynolds at that time.

Ms Higgins claims Ms Brown was the first person she disclosed her alleged rape to, in a private meeting in the last week of March that year.

Ms Brown was the only person who took notes immediately after those meetings and was once called ‘the most important person in this case’ due to that fact.

She previously told a court that Ms Higgins said Mr Lehrmann was allegedly on top of her, but that she didn’t use the word ‘rape’.

Ms Brown has continually denied that she failed to support Ms Higgins after she made her rape allegations.

She gave evidence at Mr Lehrmann’s criminal trial last year but ran out of the courtroom in tears.

Veteran television boss Peter Meakin is set to give evidence on Monday, along with The Project producer Chris Bendall and Queensland MP Sam O’Connor.

The case is expected to end this week, with final submissions expected on Thursday or Friday.

Bruce Lehrmann is suing Lisa Wilkinson and Network 10 in the Federal Court over her 2021 interview with Brittany Higgins where she alleged he raped her in Parliament House in 2019.

He was not named, but claims friends and former colleagues were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.

He has continually maintained his innocence.

Lisa Wilkinson finished her evidence on Friday.