Representation. The gavel of a judge.
Representation. The gavel of a judge.

Western Australian Senator Linda Reynolds had a dramatic start to her high-profile defamation trial on Friday, with her attorney accusing former staffer Brittany Higgins and her husband of masterminding a sophisticated media scheme to paint her in a negative light.

The defamation case in Western Australia's Supreme Court centered on the claim that Reynolds' reputation was damaged by Higgins' social media statements. The allegations about Reynolds came after Higgins said she was raped by her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann in 2019.

Before the trial began, Senator Reynolds said she was confident of her innocence as she walked up to the courtroom steps, Sky News reported. "I'm confident that the truth is about to be told," she said.

During the trial, Reynolds' attorney, Martin Bennett, said Higgins and her husband, David Sharaz, came up with a thorough media strategy to paint the senator as the antagonist, as "every fairytale needs a villain."

Bennett added that the couple had planned to "ambush" Reynolds during a February 2021 National Press Club speech, forcing the senator to postpone her appearance and seek a medical leave of absence due to a heart ailment.

The attorney also provided the court with contacts between Higgins, Sharaz, and the media, which demonstrated her husband had arranged for the former staffer to submit her rape allegations following Reynolds' speech.

Benett told the court that Higgins, in her social media posts, targeted the former by alleging she was involved in a broad scheme to cover up her allegations of rape with political motives, The Guardian reported. The attorney added the senator never questioned the veracity of Higgins' rape accusations.

Bennett said Reynolds had first responded to the accusations, labeling Higgins as a "lying cow." However, the senator had then apologized for the statement, before sending money to a foundation that combats sexual assault and settling Higgins' legal expenses.