Senator Linda Reynolds' parents have broken their silence, giving emotional testimony on how the aftermath of Brittany Higgins' rape allegation sparked 'brutal attacks' on their once 'universally loved and respected' daughter.
Janice and Laith Reynolds provided written testimony to the WA Supreme Court on Wednesday, as their daughter's blockbuster 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 were critical of Senator Reynolds' handling of Ms Higgins' allegation she was raped in Parliament House in 2019 by her then colleague Mr Lehrmann.
He was charged with rape and faced trial in 2022, but the trial was aborted due to juror misconduct.
The charge was dropped and Mr Lehrmann continues to maintain his innocence.
Senator Reynolds' mother has told the WA Supreme Court she has read every word written about this 'dreadful saga,' no matter how much it hurt.
The senator's parents were due to give evidence on Wednesday, but the senator's lawyer Martin Bennett insisted they provide 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 'dreadful saga' that she says turned Ms Reynolds into 'a pariah'
Mr Bennett told the court it took persistence to persuade them because they had wanted to give their evidence publicly, but it would have put strain on Mrs Reynolds.
In her statement, Mrs Reynolds said she felt the need to know everything that was being said about her once 'universally loved' daughter.
She said the saga had taken a toll on her and her husband seeing their daughter 'brutally attacked' in parliament and in the media, and that it was particularly hard not being able to respond or fight back.
'Knowing that if it was awful for us, how much worse it was for Linda,' she said.
'Every morning, I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach.
'It was there every day and every night, never ending.'
The senator's mother said it was devastating when her daughter resigned from her role as Minister for Defence, a post she was born for.
The distraught mother took aim at Wilkinson (pictured) for not giving her daughter the chance to respond to allegations of covering up claims of a rape made by Brittany Higgins
She recalled watching her daughter go from being a 'universally loved and respected' person to a pariah.
'She was being accused of being some kind of monster who deserted 'a poor young woman who had been raped,' she said
'She resigned from being the Minister for Defence, a post that it could be reasonably said she was born for. This was devastating by itself.'
Mrs Reynolds took aim at journalist Lisa Wilkinson for not contacting her daughter for a comment or wanting to know her side of the story.
'Laith and I have never watched The Project and did not want to see the episode about Brittany Higgins and Linda,' she wrote.
'I think Laith and I were in England when it was aired. We were devastated and so worried about Linda.
'How could anyone accuse her of such actions, especially galling because Lisa Wilkinson had not previously asked Linda for any comment, much less wanting to know her side of the story.
'It was unprofessional, to say the least. It was obviously orchestrated for maximum effect.'
Senator Reynolds is suing former Liberal staffer Ms Higgins and her husband David Sharaz over social media posts the pair made in 2022 and 2023
After Ms Higgins' allegations were made public, Mrs Reynolds said for years she had notifications pop up on her iPad whenever her daughter's name came up in the news.
She told the court in her written statement that she and her husband would read stories about their daughter every night - knowing it was bad for them, but worse for her.
'Linda especially told me not to look at Twitter, as the comments were often truly awful,' she said.
Mrs 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 'shattering' and caused him to worry daily.
Mr Reynolds provided a written witness statement to the WA Supreme Court during his daughter's defamation battle with Ms Higgins.
'She was being accused of being some kind of monster who deserted 'a poor young woman 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 they had lost friends and acquaintances during this period.
'Within our circle of friends and acquaintances, most people were positive about Linda,' he said.
'Some, however, were influenced by the #MeToo and bought into the vilification of Linda and Fiona Brown.'
Mr Reynolds said the attacks on his daughter started in the Senate in 2021, and that Senator Reynolds had told her parents a friend in the Labor Party, Kimberley Kitching, had warned her she was about to be attacked.
'I couldn't believe the story that Brittany was saying about Linda at this stage,' he said.
'It was totally contrary to what I personally had observed and contrary to the values that I knew Linda believed in.
'I watched this attack on Linda go on for 18 months and Linda collapse in the Senate.'
Mr Reynolds told the court he flew to Canberra when his daughter was admitted to hospital, and was stunned to see her lying there with 'tubes coming out, looking so damaged ... distraught'.
He said it had been enormously damaging to he and his wife, who watched it play out on a daily basis.
