Bruce Lehrmann has denied ignoring an email from media in the hope of not being named in reports that prompted his admission to hospital, as he continues giving evidence in defamation proceedings.
The former Liberal staffer is suing Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson in the Federal Court, claiming their interview with Brittany Higgins on The Project in February 2021 defamed him.
Lehrmann has been grilled about the night Higgins was allegedly raped in the Parliament House office of Senator Linda Reynolds in the early hours of March 23, 2019.
He denies the allegation, and his criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court was derailed by juror misconduct.
Prosecutors did not seek a second trial because of concerns over Higgins’ mental health.
When Lehrmann returned to the witness box on Tuesday, he said he was unable to recall what time he got home the next morning until Collins suggested it was after 6.30am.
“It appears that way, yes,” Lehrmann said after seeing a text message from himself to friends.
Lehrmann later checked into Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital.
Text messages showed Lehrmann had “flirted” with the idea of contacting media prior to broadcast.
Collins said Lehrmann feared being named if he commented to media.
Lehrmann said that was not his only concern.
“It was a combination … considering criminal proceedings may be afoot,” he said.
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“You thought you wouldn’t be named because you received a letter you hadn’t responded to,” Collins suggested.
Lehrmann said he did not read it until the following week.
He told the court he possibly would have told The Project they were defaming him with completely false comments if he had seen the “quite detailed” questions.
Collins yesterday targeted Lehrmann’s claims nothing happened when he attended Parliament House after 1.30am after a night drinking to collect keys and annotate Question Time folders.
Lehrmann denied the barrister’s characterisation of his evidence as a false and fabricated explanation.
Collins has also drawn admissions from Lehrmann that he gave false statements to police, acting chief of staff Fiona Brown and Reynolds about what happened that night.
He has also been questioned over allegedly inconsistent statements made during his trial regarding the alleged assault, which did not align with earlier comments.
After Lehrmann closes his evidence, Collins will open for Ten before Higgins gives evidence.
Lehrmann has settled separate defamation proceedings against news.com.au and the ABC over their reports about Higgins’ allegations.
A landmark report into the ACT legal system and the Higgins case in August made damning findings against former director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold, which he has sought to challenge.
Lehrmann is also before Queensland courts accused of raping another woman twice in Toowoomba in October 2021.
He has not yet entered a plea, but his lawyers have indicated he denies the charges.
