It was just 45 minutes. But what happened in that short space of time has set-off a frenzy of news stories, an aborted criminal trial, and a multi-million dollar lawsuit.

In that time, a young Liberal Party staffer says she was raped by her colleague. He says he is innocent.

A court decision on whose truth, is the truth, is expected to be handed down soon. 

But amid the layer upon layer of conjecture, is a trail of evidence. 

Today, legal affairs reporter Michaela Whitbourn what happened between Bruce Lehrmann and Brittany Higgins. The full interactive piece on the 45 minutes at the centre of the defamation trial can be read here.

And just a heads-up for our listeners, this episode contains references to allegations of sexual assault.