MP James Hayward on trial in Perth court over child sexual abuse allegations

A sitting WA parliamentarian is on trial accused of sexually abusing a young girl, with prosecutors telling the court theMP admitted what he had "done" in a suicide email to his wife.>>19397604

The offences are alleged to have happened in WA's South West between January 2019 and 2021,when the girl was aged between six and eight years old.

State prosecutor Sean Stocks said the allegations againstMr Hayward, 53, first came to light in November 2021, when the girl was caught by a family member searching for pornography on her electronic device.

He said the girl's parents went to police, and fairly quickly afterwards, Mr Hayward became aware that allegations were going to be made against him.

Mr Stocks said the MP then drafted an email to his wife saying he was going to end his life.

He sent the email about a week later in the early hours of the morning, but added the words "which I have done" in reference to the allegations, followed by a sad face emoji.

Mr Stocks said police then located Mr Hayward, but in a video-recorded interview he maintained the admission he had made was false.

The court heard Mr Hayward also expressed concern about the public humiliation he would face as a result of the allegation being made against a sitting member of parliament.

Mr Hayward denies any wrongdoing.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-21/james-hayward-cout/102752520