Fourth woman makes complaint against Brittany Higgins' attacker
The man accused of raping his colleague Brittany Higgans has been accused by a fourth woman of assault.
The former Liberal staffer has had yet another complaint made about him to the police in Canberra on Sunday, after the anonymous woman learnt the identity of the man Ms Higgins claims assaulted her in 2019.
The fourth woman said she was at Canberra’s Public Bar in 2017 after work, when the man reached his hand under the table and stroked her thigh.
A third woman also came forward and claimed she was raped by the same male staffer while she volunteered for the Coalition's 2016 election campaign.
That woman told The Australian newspaper that the male staffer bought her several drinks on a night out.
She became so drunk she vomited, so she decided to call an Uber home, but says the man assured her his hotel was nearby and he would “look after her”.
She went on to allege that she woke up with her shirt open, her jeans pushed down and the staffer “lying on top of me”.
“I believe his actions … constitute sexual assault, because he performed or tried to perform sexual acts on me whilst I was … unable to provide valid and informed consent,’’ she said.
The young woman — who had not had sex before — did not go to police at the time.
“I was severely embarrassed about it and felt dirty and ashamed,” she said.
Ms Higgins, who alleges she was raped on a couch in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ office.
She says the assault took place in March 2019, and is set to meet with the Australian Federal Police tomorrow to make a formal complaint.