Relentless political attacks over Brittany Higgins’ rape cover-up claim brought Linda Reynolds to her knees and she is struggling to recover, fellow senator Anne Ruston has told a defamation trial.

Reynolds is suing her former staffer Higgins – who is defending the claim – over social media posts containing alleged mistruths that the Senator claims damaged her reputation.

Ruston told the Perth court the political firestorm that followed Higgins’ accusations in 2021 about her rape being mishandled by the Morrison government injured Reynolds greatly.

“Over a period of a number of days, probably a couple of weeks, maybe longer, there was just a sustained attack in the media, in the [Senate] chamber, in the Parliament, on social media, just a relentless attack on her credibility, her integrity,” she told the Western Australian Supreme Court on Tuesday.

“The allegations made about her I know she found quite horrifying because they were just so far from the truth.

“It had a really profound effect on Linda’s mental health, which then subsequently had an impact on her physical health and I saw a very strong woman brought to her knees.

“I’ve seen the journey of somebody who … had a massive event that had a big impact on her life … somebody who has never really recovered,” she said.

“I’ve seen someone who was strong try to rebuild her life but Linda I would say was certainly physically, if not mentally, damaged by the events at the time.”

Reynolds’ friend of more than 20 years Kate Schulze said Higgins’ allegations in 2021 left her horrified.

“It was a political hit job … a complete fabrication,” she said.

Schulze said Reynolds was in “disbelief” that she was being accused of covering up a rape in her ministerial suite.

“It became abundantly clear that this was not just … public debate and what the [Labor Party] was doing in the Senate and what was being pushed along behind the scenes was an orchestrated job,” she said.

Schulze said Reynolds became increasingly distressed.

“She was not fighting on a fair playing field,” she said.

After Reynolds’ former chief of staff Fiona Brown was excused from giving evidence, Justice Paul Tottle granted Higgins’ lawyer Rachael Young’s application to call former deputy Australian Federal Police commissioner Leanne Close to give evidence.

Young said Close could provide evidence about a meeting with Reynolds in the days after Higgins’ alleged rape, in the absence of Brown.

The trial continues on Wednesday, with evidence from journalist Samantha Maiden. The court was told she would attempt to have a lawyer represent her in court, which is set to be opposed.

-AAP