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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Guardian staff

Man to face court over alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins

Former political staffer Brittany Higgins
Former political staffer Brittany Higgins. A 26-year-old has been summoned to appear before the ACT magistrates court and face a sexual assault charge. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

A 26-year-old man has been summoned to appear before the ACT magistrate’s court next month over the alleged sexual assault of the former Morrison government staffer Brittany Higgins.

The man will face one charge of sexual intercourse without consent in relation to the alleged sexual assault, which occurred in Parliament House in March 2019.

ACT police released a statement on Friday afternoon confirming a charge was forthcoming, and the man’s legal team had been served with his summons to appear in court.

Australian Federal Police began investigating an allegation she had been raped by a colleague at Parliament House in 2019 after Higgins made a formal complaint. After a lengthy investigation, a brief of evidence was passed to the director of public prosecutions.

On Friday, it was announced a 26-year-old man had been summoned to appear before the ACT magistrates court charged with sexual intercourse without consent, relating to an incident at Parliament House in March 2019.

“Detectives from ACT Policing’s criminal investigations, sexual assault and child abuse team, the specialist team dedicated to investigating sexual assaults in the ACT, first received a report in April 2019,” a police statement said.

“The investigation remained open and in February 2021 a formal complaint was made. Detectives have since spoken to a number of witnesses and collected evidence as part of the investigation.

“Officers today served the man’s legal representative with a summons to appear before the ACT magistrates court on 16 September 2021. The man will face one charge of sexual intercourse without consent.”

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