Warning: The story below contains references to allegations of rape.
Brittany Higgins has revealed new details about a book she is writing to document her alleged rape and experience afterwards.
The former Liberal Party staffer also vehemently denied pretending to have organised doctor's appointments in the week after her alleged rape to "bolster" her story.
Ms Higgins is being cross-examined as the first witness in the criminal trial of Bruce Lehrmann, who has been accused of raping her in Parliament House. Mr Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent.
Ms Higgins said journalist Peter FitzSimons approached her at an event and told her she should write a book about her experience and that he could act as her agent.
"I felt like I needed to document my experience ... It was a strange, full circle moment when that came to fruition," she said on Friday.
Ms Higgins confirmed the deal she eventually secured was worth more than $320,000.
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann arrives at the ACT Supreme Court in Canberra on Friday. Source: AAP / AAP
Earlier, under cross-examination, Ms Higgins was shown text messages between her and her close friend and ex-boyfriend, Ben Dillaway.
In the messages sent days after her alleged rape, she told Mr Dillaway she had been to see a doctor. Ms Higgins told the court on Friday this was a lie she told to placate him.
She told the court she booked numerous doctors’ appointments but was physically unable to get out of bed and go, because she was so traumatised.
Defence lawyer Steven Whybrow put to Ms Higgins she did not go to the doctor because she had not had sex with anyone.
"That's not true," she told the ACT Supreme Court.
Mr Whybrow suggested Ms Higgins had told her former partner Ben Dillaway and chief of staff Fiona Brown about the appointments to "bolster" her rape allegation.
"Nothing you are saying right now is true ... and it's deeply insulting," Ms Higgins said.
She told Mr Whybrow she didn't know if he had experienced trauma before but that it was a difficult thing to confront head on.
"I don't know what you want from me," she said.
Mr Whybrow also put to Ms Higgins she did not tell Ms Brown about the alleged assault in a meeting the following week.
He suggested the meeting was rather about the security breach, which was reported to Ms Brown as a result of Ms Higgins and Lehrmann accessing a ministerial office late at night.
"I obviously disagree with that completely," Ms Higgins said.
Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer Steven Whybrow. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
‘I wanted to scrub all the horrible parts of my life out’
Ms Higgins confirmed she deleted some messages and photos from her phone before handing it over to police.
The jury heard it was not her intent to keep information from the officers investigating her alleged rape.
Asked by Mr Whybrow if she remembered deleting the messages, Ms Higgins said "potentially".
She told the court she cleared her phone of photographs showing her holding alcohol or with politicians.
"I wanted to scrub all the horrible parts of my life out of my day-to-day existence," she said.
Ms Higgins described her phone as her life and said she didn't want to see photos of former minister Linda Reynolds, for whom she worked when the alleged assault happened.
"I didn't want to see her face ... Sorry, she's not a bad person. But it is what it is," she said.
Ms Higgins sent a number of audio files to her boyfriend David Sharaz before giving her phone to police when she reopened her complaint in 2021, because she worried they would be lost.
She denied withholding the audio from the police and said she provided the recordings on a USB along with her phone.
She became emotional as she recalled then-home affairs minister Peter Dutton knowing about her intention to reopen the case before she had given evidence to police.
"I was seeking legal advice to know my rights because I was terrified."
The trial continues on Monday.
With additional reporting by Lucy Murray.
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