A Perth court has heard the details of a letter written by a West Australian politician who’s on trial for child sex abuse charges.
James Dorrin Hayward, 53, has pleaded not guilty to four charges connected to the alleged sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl over a two-year period.
It’s alleged the former church pastor had the girl indecently touch him on several occasions and showed her how to access pornography.
The letter admitted the alleged abuse crimes to the MP’s wife, which prosecutor Sean Stocks has alleged was a suicide note.
The court was also told that Howard emailed the letter to his wife a week after he was reported to the police. They also heard that the wife then proceeded to contact Western Australian police as well.
“I regret not being able to talk to you about this in person. ” Hayward wrote. “In the coming days, I expect to be accused of child sex assault in relation to (a child), which I have done.”
He said killing himself would spare his family and wife harassment due to his profile as a politician and the media scrutiny that would follow.
Western Australian politician James Dorrin Hayward has pleaded not guilty to four charges connected to the alleged sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl over a two-year period. A general view of the Parliament of Western Australia in Perth, Australia, on Dec. 2, 2020. AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
He also wrote in the letter that he hoped his wife would forgive him.
“I am so sorry I have let you down, and I hope at some point you ... forgive me.
“I love you ... to the moon and back.”
Lawyer Claims Letter Not An Admission of Guilt
Hayward’s lawyer has maintained the letter is not an admission of guilt, saying it was written during a stressful time in his life.The lawyer also said that, at the time, Hayward was facing the failure of a business and owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Coupled with the ongoing financial disaster surrounding him, he felt he just didn’t have the strength to deal with those consequences,” Mr. Percy said.
Hayward still sits as an independent in the state’s upper house. He stepped down from The Nationals after the allegations surfaced and charges were laid in 2021.
The alleged victim’s mother recently spoke in court, denying allegations she withheld information. She denied initially communicating with Hayward about the allegations before going to police, something she later admitted under oath.
Former WA Nationals MP James Hayward arrives at the Perth Magistrates Court in Perth, Monday, February 21, 2022. Mr Hayward faces court charged with multiple child sexual abuse offences against an eight-year-old girl and has indicated through his lawyers he will fight the charges. AAP Image/Richard Wainwright
“I did reply: ‘Leave me and my family alone’,” the woman said in court when asked about the exchange.
A Snapchat message was also read to the court between the two, with Hayward saying: “What’s going on?”
The woman said she responded, “You know what you did.”
It was then heard the woman deleted the Snapchat app from her phone.
“You didn’t tell us the whole truth,” Mr. Percy said.
“You hid it from police and to make sure they didn’t find out you deleted the app.”
The woman has denied the allegations.
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AAP contributed to this report.
