Inside Bruce Lehrmann's notebook where he plotted revenge trends now
The night where Bruce Lehrmann 'poured his heart out' to his lawyer over a glass of scotch and fired off desperate, drunken texts to his girlfriend is now at the centre of his defamation lawsuit against Channel 10 and news.com.au.
On February 15, 2021, Mr Lehrmann sat down with his solicitor Warwick Korn in his Sydney office and fumed as Brittany Higgins accused an unnamed figure - him - of raping her in Parliament House in March 2019 during an interview on The Project.
Mr Lehrmann's girlfriend at the time, Greta Sinclair, was distraught over the extraordinary televised accusations.
He placated her by firing off messages suggesting his lawyer had told him that he was a 'pawn' and 'part of a bigger political hatchet job'.
During cross-examination in the Federal Court in Sydney on Thursday, Mr Lehrmann admitted to Ten's lawyer Matthew Collins SC that Mr Korn never said that.
Text messages emerged where Mr Lehrmann told Ms Sinclair that he was having a 'glass of scotch' in Mr Korn's office while waiting for Lisa Wilkinson's interview with Ms Higgins on the current affairs show.
Bruce Lehrmann is pictured outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Thursday - where he entered the witness box at court for the first time ever
Bruce Lehrmann (pictured, centre, on Thursday) made up a version of what was happening in a meeting with his lawyer for the sake of his girlfriend, Greta Sinclair, the Federal Court heard
'If I'm named tonight I'm up for millions in defamation ... (Mr Korn) said I won't see the light of a courtroom.'
Later that evening, at 10.02pm, he sent Ms Sinclair another message that said: [Mr Korn] keeps taking notes though, very professional'.
While being grilled in court, Mr Lehrmann admitted Mr Korn was was not taking notes during their conversation and insisted that he just wanted to make Ms Sinclair feel OK.
'I wanted her to think I had my house was in order'.
Dr Collins suggested the meeting with Mr Korn 'wasn't professional at all' because 'you were there pouring your heart out and drinking scotch' and 'Mr Korn wasn't taking any notes?'
Mr Lehrmann admitted: 'He wasn't. Not to my recollection, no.'
The following day, Mr Lehrmann checked himself into Royal North Shore Hospital for psychiatric treatment where he was placed under '30-minute' observations. He told the hospital he had been 'quite intoxicated' the night before.
He then voluntarily checked himself into a mental health facility and stayed there for 12 days.
Mr Lehrmann is suing the
