Australian politician accused of sexual abuse of a teenager and a young man

Sydney, Australia, 22 Mar Australian regional lawmaker Gareth Ward was accused of sexually abusing a teenager and a 27-year-old in two separate incidents in the 2010s, although the politician says he will prove his innocence in the courts of the ocean country. Police in the New South Wales region, the most populous in Australia, reported Tuesday in a statement that the regional legislator, who did not identify, was charged with five counts: three for assault with acts of indecency, as well as two for sexual intercourse without consent and common assault. The police source also confirmed that the former Regional Minister for Family of the Liberal Government of New South Wales appeared in front of a police station on Tuesday to answer for the alleged sexual abuse of a 17-year-old teenager in the town of Meroo Medow in 2013 and of a 27-year-old in Sydney in 2015. Ward, 40, who will be on probation until his appearance in a local court on May 18, said in a statement quoted by the Australian public broadcaster ABC that he will seek to “prove” his “innocence” in the process. For his part, the head of the NSW government, Dominic Perrottet, said in a statement that he expects Ward to resign his seat in the regional parliament. “If Mr. Ward does not resign, the (regional) government will propose a motion to remove him from Parliament,” Perrotet said, referring to this politician who left the Liberal Party in May 2021 when police investigations were heard. CHIEF wat/grc/pi