A sitting West Australian parliamentarian has been committed to stand trial in the District Court on charges of sexually abusing an eight-year-old girl.
James Hayward, a member of the Legislative Council, is alleged to have abused the girl in the state's South West in November 2021, when he was a member of the Nationals WA.
He has since resigned and is currently sitting in parliament as an independent.
Mr Hayward was originally facing five charges, but today in the Perth Magistrates Court, prosecutors discontinued one of the counts — a charge of persistently engaging in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 16 years — on the basis of "public interest".
A lawyer from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said the charge was being dropped because the alleged illegal conduct was already reflected in the three indecent dealings charges Mr Hayward was facing.
He is also facing a count of procuring, encouraging or inciting a child under 13 to do an indecent act.
Hayward to plead not guilty
The court has previously been told Mr Hayward intended to plead not guilty and today his lawyer, Amanda Blackburn, confirmed the four charges would be defended.
His bail was renewed ahead of his first appearance in the District Court in August, when a date may be set for the trial.
Mr Hayward has previously stated that he intended to remain a member of the WA Parliament and keep his salary, because if he resigned, it would send a message that any person in public office could be removed by simply making an untested allegation.
He has also said Australia's legal system was founded on the presumption of innocence and that it applied to everyone.
Last month, Mr Hayward had his bail conditions amended so that he could travel to Queensland for a three-day forum on medicinal cannabis.
He argued that if he was unable to go, he would not be able to fulfil his parliamentary duties and would have to resign from a committee looking into the current legislation and regulations surrounding the drug.
The symposium, which he said he intended to attend with the four other members of the parliamentary committee, was held on the Sunshine Coast from May 20 to May 22.
