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Thursday, December 2, 2021
James Hayward, a Nationals MP in Western Australia’s Legislative Council, today appeared in front of Perth Magistrates Court on charges that relate to an alleged indecent assault against an eight-year-old girl.
Hayward was arrested and charged by WA Police with three counts of indecent dealings with a child under 13 years, one count of procuring a child under 13 to do an indecent act, and one count of persistent sexual conduct. WA Police allege the offences occured earlier this year. In court today, Hayward was not required to make a plea, but was successful in a bail application.
Prosecutors for law enforcement were against the application, noting a risk that Hayward could self-harm. Hayward was previously hospitalised after sending an email to his wife on Wednesday “saying his goodbyes”. Defence lawyer Amanda Blackburn told the court that Hayward had seemed “calm and lucid” when she spoke with him earlier today, and that a letter from a family doctor said that Hayward had no previous history of issues with mental health.
Hayward’s bail was granted by magistrate Nicholas Lemmon with the condition that he report to police five times a week, and that he not contact neither the alleged victim’s family or contact with children under 16 unsupervised aside from his son. A surety of A$30,000 is also attached to the bail.
Hayward was elected to Parliament in the 2021 Western Australian state election as a member for the South West Region. Hayward has previously served as a City of Bunbury councillor, state president of the WA Nationals, and as a vice-president for the Nationals.
Both nationwide Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce and Premier of Western Australia Mark McGowan avoided significant comment on the charges. Joyce remarked that “as to the political matters, that is for the Leader of the WA Nationals to address”, and “as it is now a serious legal proceeding, I will not be commenting further”, while McGowan stated that he was briefed on the charges but “all I’d say is this is a matter for the police and the courts, we won’t make any further comment than that.”