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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| NSW MP Gareth Ward loses bid for separate sexual assault trials | NSW MP Gareth Ward loses bid for separate sexual assault trials |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| The recently re-elected independent has pleaded not guilty to five charges in the state’s district court | The recently re-elected independent has pleaded not guilty to five charges in the state’s district court |
| The recently re-elected New South Wales Kiama MP, Gareth Ward, will face one trial in a Sydney court on sexual assault allegations after a judge rejected his bid to have the allegations separated. | The recently re-elected New South Wales Kiama MP, Gareth Ward, will face one trial in a Sydney court on sexual assault allegations after a judge rejected his bid to have the allegations separated. |
| Ward, 42, a former Liberal turned independent, has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent, three counts of indecent assault and one of common assault. | Ward, 42, a former Liberal turned independent, has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent, three counts of indecent assault and one of common assault. |
| It is alleged Ward indecently assaulted a 17-year-old at his home on the NSW south coast and had nonconsensual sexual intercourse with a man aged in his 20s at his Potts Point apartment in inner Sydney. | It is alleged Ward indecently assaulted a 17-year-old at his home on the NSW south coast and had nonconsensual sexual intercourse with a man aged in his 20s at his Potts Point apartment in inner Sydney. |
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| He retained the Kiama seat at the March state election after being suspended from parliament after the charges were laid. | He retained the Kiama seat at the March state election after being suspended from parliament after the charges were laid. |
| His trial is expected to last about three weeks, judge John Pickering said in the state’s district court on Thursday. | His trial is expected to last about three weeks, judge John Pickering said in the state’s district court on Thursday. |
| The judge granted a motion to have the trial held in Sydney and rejected another motion to have charges separated and dealt with in different trials in Sydney and Nowra on the south coast. | The judge granted a motion to have the trial held in Sydney and rejected another motion to have charges separated and dealt with in different trials in Sydney and Nowra on the south coast. |
| “There must be a joint trial and there will be,” Pickering said. | “There must be a joint trial and there will be,” Pickering said. |
| “Overwhelmingly, in my view, it is in the interest of justice for the trial to come to Sydney.” | “Overwhelmingly, in my view, it is in the interest of justice for the trial to come to Sydney.” |
| The trial can be more easily accommodated and take less time in Sydney, the judge said. | The trial can be more easily accommodated and take less time in Sydney, the judge said. |
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| A trial date will be set “as soon as possible”, potentially on Thursday afternoon. | A trial date will be set “as soon as possible”, potentially on Thursday afternoon. |
| Ward was not required to appear in court, being represented by a lawyer via audiovisual link. | Ward was not required to appear in court, being represented by a lawyer via audiovisual link. |
| This article was amended on 24 May 2023 to correct a caption that incorrectly said Gareth Ward pleaded guilty. He pleaded not guilty. |