Complainant testifies about Australian Parliament House rape

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A former government staffer has testified about being raped by a colleague in the Australian Parliament House and described her fears of not being believed because of the disparity in their workplace statuses. On Wednesday, Brittany Higgins became the first witness to testify against Bruce Lehrmann. He has pleaded not guilty in the Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court to a charge of sexual intercourse without consent in a minister’s office in March 2019. Lehrmann faces a potential 12-year prison sentence if convicted. Higgins said she was a 24-year-old staffer in an administrative role in then-Defense Industry Minister Linda Reynolds’ office while Lehrmann had a more senior role as a ministerial adviser.