Bruce Lehrmann has lashed out at Brittany Higgins after she publicly commented on him being charged over a separate alleged rape.
He took aim at Ms Higgins and said his legal team was considering its options in a statement released just hours before his rape charge was due for mention in Queensland.
‘Her statement was public and widely reported. As such my team will be considering our position and the relief the justice system rightly has available to us now,’ he said.
Ms Higgins spoke out on Instagram on Sunday afternoon two days after Lehrmann was unmasked as the high-profile man accused of rape.
Lehrmann was charged with two counts of rape in January this year following an alleged incident after a night out at a strip club in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, in October 2021.
He is accused of twice failing to wear a condom while having sex with a young woman.
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) is considering legal options after Brittany Higgins commented on his current court case
In her statement, Ms Higgins said: ‘When I first found out about the alleged sexual assault my heart broke for you,’ in an apparent address to the alleged victim.
On Tuesday morning, just hours before his rape charge was due for mention in Toowoomba Local Court, Lehrmann released his own comments, first reported by Sky News.
‘The non-publication order we sought unsuccessfully last week would have ensured the subsequent prejudicial and often inaccurate reporting would not have occurred,’ he said.
Lehrmann then took aim at Ms Higgins’ statement.
‘Her statement was public and widely reported. As such my team will be considering our position and the relief the justice system rightly has available to us now.
‘The recent ACT Criminal Justice Inquiry and its findings should not be forgotten.
‘The only verdict of any substance that’s been handed down this year was that of Mr Sofronoff’s condemnation of the behaviour of the DPP and Mr Shane Drumgold.’
Lehrmann’s case comes before Toowoomba Local Court this morning. Ms Higgins was approached for comment.
Brittany Higgins (pictured front, centre) issued a statement about Lehrmann’s legal case on Sunday