Brittany Higgins claims the police officers who handled her claimed rape allegation were “awful” and made her “feel violated at every turn,” the latest twist in the saga of Walter Sofronoff’s investigation into Bruce Lehrmann’s conviction.
The former Liberal staffer’s statements were in response to an article in The Australian that claimed officers who investigated the allegation had their careers damaged by bogus claims of police intervention made by ACT Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shane Drumgold throughout the case.
Higgins refuted that assertion, claiming in her first public statement since the report’s release that the police were “disgraced by their conduct, not the DPP.”
“These police never wanted to charge my (accused) rapist despite the fact that no one, not even the defence, made an application contending that the prosecution was not properly commenced,” she said in a statement.
Higgins emphasised that Sofronoff discovered officers had varying interpretations of the ACT’s threshold for charging someone with rape, including one who confessed hers was erroneous before alleging the officers’ behaviour made her feel violated.
“They wrongfully handed over to (the) defence my most private thoughts taken over years in counselling sessions at the Rape Crisis Centre,” she added.
“These men were just horrifying to me. At every turn, they made me feel violated.
“I’ll never forget how small I felt in a room with five senior police officers I’d never met belittling me – after I’d just spent hours giving evidence in a second (evidence in chief) interview.”
“They passed judgement on the merits of my advocacy and frequently reiterated their reasons why they thought I shouldn’t press charges.”
“I do not rejoice in the misfortune of others.” These policemen, however, were shamed by their actions, not by the DPP.”
Sofronoff’s investigation was made public on Monday, after much of it was leaked last week.
While he agreed that police were correct to prosecute Lehrmann with Higgins’ rape, he also issued several damning findings against Drumgold, who has since retired.
Lehrmann’s trial was halted owing to juror misbehaviour, and a retrial was cancelled due to concerns for Higgins’ well-being.
