The parents of Senator Linda Reynolds have broken their silence and given emotional testimony about how the fallout from Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation led to “brutal attacks” on their once “universally loved and respected” daughter.
Janice and Laith Reynolds gave written evidence to the Supreme Court of Western Australia on Wednesday as their daughter’s major defamation trial against Ms Higgins continues.
Senator Reynolds is suing Ms Higgins and her husband David Sharaz over social media posts the couple made in 2022 and 2023.
The posts criticised Senator Reynolds’ handling of Ms Higgins’ allegation that she was raped in Parliament in 2019 by her then colleague, Mr Lehrmann.
He was charged with rape and faced trial in 2022, but the trial was called off due to jury misconduct.
The charge was dropped and Mr. Lehrmann continues to maintain his innocence.
Sen. Reynolds’ mother told the Washington Supreme Court that she has read every word written about this “terrible saga,” no matter how much it hurts.
The senator’s parents were due to give evidence on Wednesday but the senator’s lawyer, Martin Bennett, insisted they submit written statements to the court instead.
Senator Linda Reynolds’ mother Janice (both pictured) has provided written testimony in her daughter’s defamation action, attacking Lisa Wilkinson and the “terrible saga” she says turned Ms Reynolds into “a pariah”.
Mr Bennett told the court it took persistence to persuade them because they wanted to give their evidence publicly, but that would have put pressure on Ms Reynolds.
In her statement, Ms Reynolds said she felt the need to know everything that was being said about her once “universally loved” daughter.
She said the saga had affected her and her husband as they watched their daughter “brutally attacked” in parliament and the media, and it was particularly hard not to be able to respond or fight back.
“We knew that if it was terrible for us, how much worse it would be for Linda,” he said.
‘Every morning I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach.
“He was there every day and every night, without end.”
The senator’s mother said it was devastating when her daughter resigned from her position as Minister of Defense, a position she was born to hold.
The distraught mother hit out at Wilkinson (pictured) for not giving her daughter the chance to respond to allegations of covering up rape claims made by Brittany Higgins.
She recalled watching her daughter go from being “universally loved and respected” to an outcast.
“They accused her of being some kind of monster who abandoned a poor young girl who had been raped,” he said.
“She resigned from her position as Minister of Defence, a position for which one could reasonably say she was born. This was devastating in itself.”
Ms Reynolds criticised journalist Lisa Wilkinson for not reaching out to her daughter for comment or to hear her side of the story.
“Laith and I have never seen The Project and we didn’t want to watch the episode about Brittany Higgins and Linda,” she wrote.
“I think Laith and I were in England when it aired. We were devastated and very worried about Linda.
“How could anyone accuse her of such actions? It’s especially galling because Lisa Wilkinson had not previously asked Linda for any comment, let alone wanted to know her side of the story.
“It was unprofessional, to say the least. Obviously, everything was planned to cause maximum effect.”
Senator Reynolds is suing former Liberal staffer Ms Higgins and her husband David Sharaz over social media posts the couple made in 2022 and 2023.
After Ms Higgins’ allegations became public, Ms Reynolds said that for years notifications would appear on her iPad whenever her daughter’s name appeared in the news.
In her written statement, she told the court that she and her husband read stories about their daughter every night, knowing it was bad for them, but worse for her.
“Linda specifically told me not to look at Twitter, because the comments were often really horrible,” she said.
Ms Reynolds told the court she was very grateful to News Corp journalist Janet Albrechtsen for being the first reporter to listen to her daughter and “publish the truth about what had really happened”.
Senator Reynolds’ father, Laith, in his own written testimony, said the events since 2021 and the attacks on his daughter were “heartbreaking” and caused him daily concern.
Mr Reynolds provided a written witness statement to the Supreme Court of Western Australia during his daughter’s defamation battle with Ms Higgins.
“She was accused of being some kind of monster who had abandoned a poor young girl who had been raped,” Ms Reynolds’ mother, Janice, said in written testimony to the court.
He said the attacks had caused great problems for his family and that they had lost friends and acquaintances during this period.
“In our circle of friends and acquaintances, most people had a positive opinion of Linda,” he said.
‘Some, however, were influenced by the #MeToo movement and joined in the defamation of Linda and Fiona Brown.’
Reynolds said the attacks on her daughter began in the Senate in 2021, and that Senator Reynolds had told her parents that a Labor friend, Kimberley Kitching, had warned her that she was about to be attacked.
“I couldn’t believe the story Brittany was telling about Linda at that moment,” she said.
‘It was totally contrary to what I had personally observed and contrary to the values I knew Linda believed in.
“I watched as this attack on Linda continued for 18 months and as Linda collapsed in the Senate.”
Mr Reynolds told the court he flew to Canberra when his daughter was admitted to hospital and was shocked to see her lying there with “tubes sticking out, looking so damaged… distraught”.
He said it had been hugely damaging to him and his wife, who watched it unfold daily.