Bruce Lehrmann has rejected an allegation he raped Brittany Higgins in a Parliament House office while giving evidence under oath for the first time in court.

Higgins claims Lehrmann sexually assaulted her in the Parliament House office of their then-boss, former defence industry minister Linda Reynolds, in the early hours of March 2019.

“Did you sexually assault Brittany Higgins in that office on that evening?” his barrister Steven Whybrow SC asked in the Federal Court on Thursday.

“Absolutely not,” Lehrmann replied.

The law student is giving evidence in his defamation hearing against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over a February 2021 publication on The Project where Higgins was interviewed.

Lehrmann told Justice Michael Lee that the night before the alleged rape where he, Higgins and two other colleagues went out for drinks was an “innocuous” social occasion.

In his defamation case, Lehrmann claims that while The Project report did not name him, it still left him identifiable and “utterly destroyed” his reputation.

“He will seek vindication and compensation,” another of his barristers, Matthew Richardson SC, told the Federal Court on Wednesday.

Mr Richardson SC said certain people had made up their minds about what happened behind closed doors in the office despite no judge or jury finding the ex-staffer guilty.

“Even to acknowledge the situation is grey will be too painful and, perhaps given the stance they have taken, too humiliating,” he said.

Lehrmann has settled two other defamation proceedings he brought against News.com.au and the ABC over separate reports regarding the allegations brought by Higgins.

The criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court over Higgins’ rape allegations was derailed by juror misconduct and prosecutors did not seek a second trial because of concerns over her mental health.

A landmark report into the ACT legal system and the Higgins case was released in August, making damning findings against now ex-director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold over his conduct during the case.

Lehrmann has separately been accused of raping another woman twice in Toowoomba in October 2021.

That criminal case is still in the committal stage and he is yet to enter a plea, but his lawyers have indicated that he denies the charges.

1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

-AAP