Read David Sharaz’s ‘paranoid’ email to Lisa Wilkinson – after court heard Brittany Higgins was ‘terrified’ the government were going to stop her airing rape allegations on The Project
David Sharaz sent a “paranoid” email to Lisa Wilkinson on behalf of Brittany Higgins in case the government was checking her devices.
The letter, titled “Everything you need”, was found in a list of documents uploaded to the Federal Court website on Wednesday, amid Bruce Lerman’s libel trial against Wilkinson and Network Ten.
The document did not include a date but was likely sent around January 2021, when Wilkinson learned of Ms Higgins’ rape allegations, and refers to a phone call they had on the same topic.
Ms Higgins alleged that Lehrmann, her former colleague, raped her in Parliament House in March 2019. He categorically denies these accusations.
In an email, Mr. Sharaz wrote: “Hi Lisa! Thank you for your time on the phone today and for your sensitivity to what I truly believe is injustice.
Brittany Higgins pictured with David Sharaz on her way to the Marie Claire Woman of the Year Awards in Sydney in November.
Pictured: An email David Sharaz sent to Lisa Wilkinson in January 2021.
“I’m posting this on behalf of Britt simply because (and this sounds paranoid) we simply don’t know who might be keeping a close eye on her.”
He then asked Wilkinson to speak with him if she needed more information, adding, “And I can nominate Britt.”
Earlier in the defamation trial, the Federal Court heard Ms Higgins appeared to believe the government had installed software on her phone while she was working as an adviser to former employment minister Michaelia Cash.
An audio recording of the pre-interview meeting with Ms Higgins, Mr Sharaz, Wilkinson and Network Ten producer Angus Llewellyn was played in court.
This meeting took place in a Sydney hotel room on January 27, 2021 – after Sharaz sent an email to Wilkinson.
Ms Higgins told the group she tried to take screenshots of conversations she had with her former House of Parliament leaders before attempting to update her phone.
The update failed and she stated that she lost all her data, including photos.
Pictured is Lisa Wilkinson (left) with her lawyer Sue Crisanthu S.S. outside Federal Court on Wednesday.
Under cross-examination on Tuesday, Mr. Llewellyn said Ms. Higgins assumed the government had hacked her phone, adding that he personally did not think that had happened.
“I’m leaning towards the cause rather than the conspiracy,” he said.
On Wednesday the court heard Ms Higgins was “terrified” that the Government might intervene in the upcoming episode of The Project, during which her rape allegations were aired publicly for the first time.
Mr Llewellyn said: “Ms Higgins was very, very concerned that the Government would somehow stop this story.
Judge Michael Lee chimed in: “Was Ms Higgins worried the government would stop the story?”
He replied: “She was terrified.”
The judge continued: “On what basis would you, as an experienced journalist, suggest that the government could stop publishing?”
Mr Llewellyn said he did not understand injunctions – that is, a court order preventing a person or entity from doing something – and said Ms Higgins was simply afraid the story would somehow be stopped.
Lisa Wilkinson pictured with Brittany Higgins.
At the end of the email Mr Sharaz sent to Wilkinson, he thanked her for speaking to the executive producer about creating a program based on Ms Higgins’ allegations.
He said Ms Higgins, who was still working for Senator Cash at the time, wanted to be “out of Parliament House” by the time the story broke and the police investigation was reopened.
“In addition to this, I have reviewed ACT Police crime statistics for 2019 and have found one report of sexual assault during the Britt incident,” he wrote.
It included a timeline of Ms Higgins’ rape allegations and a map of other sexual assault allegations in Canberra in 2019.
Ms Higgins’ rape allegations were aired on The Project on 15 February 2021 – several weeks after this email was sent.
Mr. Lehrmann is now suing Wilkinson and the network over the broadcast.
He has not been named, but he claims that former colleagues were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.
Ms Higgins, Mr Lehrmann and Mr Llewelyn were cross-examined.
Wilkinson’s cross-examination will begin on Thursday.