A former WA MP is sentenced to almost three years in jail for sexually abusing a young girl, the same year he sought election to the state's upper house.
A former WA MP has been sentenced to almost three years in jail for sexually abusing a young girl the year he sought election to the state's upper house.The offences occurred the year before Hayward was electedJames Hayward, 54, was found guilty by a District Court jury of getting the girl, who was aged about six or seven at the time, to indecently touch him on two occasions.
He was, however, immediately suspended from the National Party and he later resigned from the organisation and sat in parliament as an independent. It was believed to be only the second time in WA's history that a sitting MP had lost their position because they committed a crime.Today Hayward's lawyer, Tom Percy KC, argued that the public humiliation his client had suffered should be taken into account in the sentencing process.James Hayward is only the second MP in WA history to be removed from office for criminal activity. Here's what happens next.
State Prosecutor Sean Stocks described the offences as "fundamentally serious", describing them as a gross breach of trust.
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