Man stands trial for rape in Australian Parliament House

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A prosecutor has told a jury a government staffer described herself “as drunk as she’d ever been in her life” on the night she alleges she was raped inside the Australian Parliament House. In his opening address on Tuesday, prosecutor Shane Drumgold told the jury the level of Brittany Higgins’ intoxication was important because it was relevant to her ability to consent to having sex. Fellow staffer Bruce Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and faces a potential maximum sentence of 12 years in prison if convicted. His trial began in the Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court on Tuesday in the national capital, Canberra. Three former government ministers are to testify.