Alleged victim of rape in Australian Parliament House testifies in court

A government staffer testified on Wednesday 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 (Mick Tsikas/AAP/AP)

A government staffer testified on Wednesday that she was 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.

Brittany Higgins became the first witness to testify against Bruce Lehrmann, 27, who 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. He faces a potential 12-year prison sentence if convicted.