The woman whose 4WD was allegedly stolen by former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann insists she’s never met him and has no idea why it was taken.
Lehrmann, 29, fronted Hobart Magistrates Court on Monday morning after being charged with ‘motor vehicle stealing’.
It’s alleged he stole a Toyota Prado from a Mountain River property in Tasmania‘s Huon Valley, 30km south-east of Hobart late last year.
Gail Oates only found out on Monday the identity of the man accused of stealing her 4WD on the morning of November 20.
Her claims contradict Lehrmann’s claims that her son let him use the vehicle because he was helping maintain their property.
Ms Oates noticed her car was missing when she left the house at 7am to drive her son to work.
‘Panic, panic, absolute panic, because I knew that was my pride and joy the Prado – so I rang the police straight away,’ she told Nine News.
But by midday, the vehicle was returned with the keys and a full tank of fuel.
‘It was so weird and bizarre,’ Ms Oates said.
Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) fronted Hobart Magistrates Court on Monday morning after being charged with ‘motor vehicle stealing’
She recalled how police showed her CCTV footage of a man at a nearby service station.
‘(He) put fuel in my car and bought a bottle of Coke,’ Ms Oates said.
‘(The police) then came and asked me if I could identify him and I did not know him from a bar of soap.’
She only discovered on Monday that the man charged is Lehrmann, who she does not know but who briefly worked with her son.
‘I’ve never met that man before in my life, I’ve only seen him on the news,’ she said.
All Ms Oates cares about is that she got her 4WD back.
Lehrmann has reportedly been living in Tasmania since he lost his defamation case against Channel 10 and Lisa Wilkinson when a judge found, on the balance of probabilities, he had raped fellow Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in Parliament House.
Sydney lawyer Zali Burrows, who was seen with Lehrmann in Hobart last October, is representing him and appeared via phone link from NSW on Monday.
Gail Oates (pictured), the woman who owns the car allegedly stolen by former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann said she’s never met him and has no idea why it was taken
He did not enter a plea and the matter was adjourned until June 19.
A source close to Lehrmann told News Corp on Monday afternoon that he was ‘confused’ by the charge, claiming Ms Oates’s son let him use the vehicle because he was helping maintain their property.
The source also claimed Ms Oates only complained to police weeks after Lehrmann had used the car.
‘She complained weeks after the fact and the car was borrowed for half a day and returned with a full tank of fuel,’ the source added.
Lehrmann, who is studying law, is well-acquainted with the court system.
Last year, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee found he had raped his former colleague Ms Higgins after a night out in March 2019.
The judgement was found to the civil standard, which is on the balance of probabilities rather than beyond reasonable doubt.
Lehrmann is accused of stealing Toyota Prado from a Mountain River property in Tasmania’s Huon Valley on November 20 last year
Lehrmann has always denied the allegations and is appealing the judgement.
Criminal proceedings over the incident in the ACT ended with no findings against Lehrmann after juror misconduct.
A mooted second trial was abandoned over fears for Ms Higgins’ mental health.
Lehrmann is also set to stand trial on two counts of rape at Toowoomba District Court later this year.
He has not entered pleas but it is believed he will defend the charges.