Friday 7 October 2022 03:37 AM Brittany Higgins and her ex exchanged messages about alleged rape trends now

Salty texts between Brittany Higgins and her ex-lover reveal she she was furious about being offered 'jack in terms of help' after she was allegedly raped by a former Liberal staffer. 

In the messages between the alleged victim and Ben Dilloway, which were tendered to the Supreme Court in the ACT on Friday, Ms Higgins claimed she was 'literally assaulted' in former defence minister Linda Reynolds' office but offered 'no help'.

Mr Dillaway called the ex-minister a 'f***ing b***h' in a fiery response, before Ms Higgins said the situation left her 'at the end of my rope'.

The 27-year-old alleges Bruce Lehrmann raped her in Ms Reynolds' office after a drunken night out in March 2019. Mr Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty.

Ms Higgins was reduced to tears as she was grilled during cross-examination over the night in question, including over whether she had vomit stains on her dress. 

She also blew up in court when defence lawyer Steven Whybrow put to her that she had told Mr Dilloway, police, and her former boss Fiona Brown that she was making up doctor's appointments to 'bolster' her story.

During the cross-examination that left Ms Higgins in tears, Mr Whybrow asked why she didn't tell anyone about the alleged assault for a number of days - despite being in constant contact with Mr Dillaway and her father via text messages.

In the texts, the Mr Dillaway and Ms Higgins engaged in light banter about his recent drive from the Gold Coast in Queensland to Orange in NSW, tacos and margaritas.

The only inference Ms Higgins made about the alleged attack was when she wrote: 'Haha I just get myself into trouble, need to keep that shit locked down.'

At 6.59pm on March 23, the evening after the alleged assault, Mr Dillaway and Ms Higgins shared the following texts: 

Mr Dillaway: 'How's the hangover?'

Ten minutes later, she replied: 'Pretty rough.'

Mr Dillaway said: 'Haha yo must have been in fine form.'

Ms Higgins: 'Yeah I need to slow down, it's gotten a little out of hand recently haha'

Mr Dillaway: 'Haha oh dear. I wanna party with you.

Ms Higgins: 'Haha I just get myself into trouble, need to keep that shit locked down.'

Mr Dillaway: 'haha do tell'

Ms Higgins: 'Just the standard shenanigans.'

Addressing the texts, Ms Higgins told the court, 'I wasn't ready to share, I was playing it off.'

On the Sunday, she told Mr Dilloway that she spent the day doing university work but told the court she was 'responding to his messages on autopilot, 'like everything was fine'.

She also had a message exchange with her father where, as Mr Whybrow told the court, she didn't mention any assault.

Ms Higgins replied: 'I was in bed crying - I did nothing. I wasn't doing uni work. I wasn't ready to disclose I'd been raped to my ex boyfriend and my dad, no.'

Earlier in the trial, Ms Higgins admitted to deleting photos from her phone before handing it to police - telling the court she 'wanted to scrub all the horrible parts of my life out'.

In court o Friday, Mr Whybrow brought up a moment during Ms Higgins' testimony earlier in the week where she said that she told her former chief of staff, Fiona Brown, that she had to go to a doctors appointment the week after the alleged assault and asked if she could work from home.

She admitted to the court that she never went to that doctors appointment, but later told Mr Dilloway and police that she would attend doctors appointments. 

She also conceded that she did not go to the doctors - she had planned to, but said she couldn't handle the idea of going through the allegations with a professional.

Mr Whybrow put to her that she had breakfast with Mr Dilloway on that Friday morning, rather than being 'bed-bound' as she previous suggested.

He then suggested she told those parties she would go to the doctor to 'bolster' the story.

'The reason you couldn't go to to the doctor was because you didn't have sex with anyone on Friday night, consensually or otherwise.'

'You asked Ms Brown if you could have a day off to bolster your story.'

Ms Higgins responded, loudly: 'What you're saying is deeply insulting.'

'You are so incorrect. 

'I don't know if you've ever been through a trauma before ... It's confronting, it is a very hard thing to do. I was bed bound, I was doing my best. I completely reject everything you're saying.'

Ms Higgins was cross-examined about what she told the Australian Federal Police during a meeting in parliament on April 1.

'Do you recall telling police you had gone to a medical centre and had tests done but no results have come back?' Mr Whybrow asked.

Ms Higgins replied:  'No. I had intention of going to medical centres, but the moment I left work I was collapsing. 

'I'd been raped days before. I was somehow making it to work in the same office I'd been raped in... I was by myself.'

Mr Whybrow continued: 'Did you tell cops you had vomit stains all down your dress?' 

'I don't recall. I was on my hands and knees on the minister's floor and I vomited into the minister's toilet,' Ms Higgins replied.

Mr Whybrow asked Ms Higgins if she told police that she 'became aware of the smell of sex?' 

Ms Higgins replied: 'Broadly accurate. I don't remember the specific conversation, it was traumatising, but I believe those word to that effect.'

Mr Whybrow continued: 'Might you have said to police that you had vomit stains all down your dress?'

Ms Higgins responded: 'I had fallen over in the previous venue so I had grass stains on my dress and I vomited in the minister's bathroom.'

Mr Whybrow then asked Ms Higgins when said she had grass stains on her dress, to which she told the

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