Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds believed Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial was politically motivated and Peter Dutton undermined her, a psychologist’s notes read to a defamation trial have revealed.
Senator Reynolds is suing Brittany Higgins for defamation over a series of social media posts containing alleged mistruths that she believes damaged her reputation.
On day seven of the Perth trial, the senator’s psychologist April Jones told the court she started counselling the politician after media reported Ms Higgins’ accusations about the senator mishandling her alleged rape.
“She had an incident in parliament where she had become very distressed,” Ms Jones told the Western Australian Supreme Court on Monday.
Her notes detailed the pair’s ongoing sessions, including the senator’s thoughts in late 2022 when Mr Lehrmann was on trial for rape.
“If this wasn’t political it wouldn’t have gone to court, pre-orchestrated by Brittany and her boyfriend,” one of the notes read to the court said.
During another session in 2023, Ms Jones wrote “Linda stated Peter Dutton undermined me” but couldn’t provide further details about what it meant.
Senator Reynolds’ long-time partner Robert Reid told the court the senator didn’t tell him about Ms Higgins’ alleged rape in 2019 and learned about it from media reports in 2021.
Mr Reid said he was annoyed and cover-ups were dangerous for senior ministers.
“I said ‘who did you tell? Surely you told the prime minister … and she said ‘it’s not my story to tell,” he said.
“Brittany had asked Linda not to tell anyone about it, Linda kept that promise.”
Mr Reid said it was difficult to watch Ms Higgins’ interview on Network Ten’s The Project when she accused Senator Reynolds of mishandling her alleged rape.
“I couldn’t believe what I was what I was hearing. The accusations about a cover-up, about threats of jobs,” he said.
“Painful to watch. Linda was really angry.
“Here was a story being told that was not true.”
Mr Reid suggested the senator should prepare for parliament question time the next day.
“I was angry. I wanted her to have some really good lines. I wanted her to work out, even with the prime minister’s office about what could be said,” he said.
“Linda told me that she would be right, that she would just have to say she couldn’t talk about it. I said to Linda, I ”m not sure that’s going to be enough’.”
Mr Reid watched the senator in parliament the day after Lisa Wilkinson’s interview and “it was unrelenting”.
“Linda told me … this was what Kimberley Kitching had told her … this reign of terror was going to occur,” he said, referring to the late Labor senator.
Mr Reid was tearful as he told the court about Senator Reynolds’ diagnosis with cardiac issues after she was rushed to a hospital emergency ward in pain.
“He said ‘we might lose her’,” recounting what the cardiologist had told him.
Mr Reid said the social media targeting the senator was relentless.
“It was attacking, it was vitriolic … I would send some to Linda. I realised that was the worst thing … it disturbed her,” he said.
Mr Reid recalled the senator felt “stupid” after she learned about Ms Higgins and her now husband David Sharaz’s alleged plan in 2021 to promote their accusations of a political cover-up.
“Here was a map of the plan to bring her down and potentially to bring Scott Morrison down and bring the government down,” he said.
“She thought she had been trying to do the right thing all the way along for Brittany … not telling anyone … until Brittany decided to speak.”
He said Ms Wilkinson’s five-hour pre-interview with Ms Higgins “communicated the single-minded desire to destroy Linda and destroy the government … and the hatred.”
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