Former missionary indicted for alleged sexual exploitation of children in Tonga
A former missionary from the LDS church is arrested in the United States for allegedly sexually abusing minors in the Kingdom of Tonga.
Tuvalu's Prime Minister says his country will continue to keep Australia accountable on its carbon emissions despite an economic and security treaty between the two governments.
Samoa ramps up its response to a deadly dengue outbreak.
Researches in Brisbane roll out new technology which immunises mosquitoes against the dengue illness.
In Palau, scientists and oral history custodians join forces to piece together the story behind some of the Pacific's most ancient monuments.
India's Rugby Premier League completes its inaugural season.
And a kava-led boom unfolds on the roads of Vanuatu's remote islands.
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ABC News
23 minutes ago
- ABC News
Convicted sex offender Gareth Ward faces expulsion from NSW parliament
NSW MP Gareth Ward could become the first member of the Legislative Assembly expelled from the New South Wales parliament in more than 100 years when politicians return to Macquarie Street next week. The Legislative Assembly is expected to consider a motion to expel Ward as its first order of business on Tuesday, following his conviction for sexually abusing two young men. It would be the first time since 1917 that the parliament has used this power. The vote is expected to pass comfortably, with both the government and opposition supporting Ward's removal. On Monday, Premier Chris Minns said Ward's continued presence in parliament was "ridiculous" and threatened the integrity of the institution. Mr Minns called on Ward to resign and said if he did not, the parliament would take steps to remove him. On Thursday, Opposition leader Mark Speakman repeated his support for the expulsion motion. "The fact that he is now incarcerated makes that call even stronger," Mr Speakman said. Ward spent his first night in Silverwater jail after his bail was revoked in the District Court on Wednesday, where a date was set for his sentencing in September. Once expelled, Ward will lose his salary and entitlements immediately. The Speaker of the House will assume responsibility for the Kiama electorate until a by-election is held and a new member is sworn in. If Ward is discharged from the parliament, it is the Speaker's responsibility to contact the electoral commission to organise a by-election in the seat. If Ward appealed against his conviction and succeeded, he would remain removed from parliament and would have to recontest the seat of Kiama to return. The last time a member was expelled from the Legislative Assembly was in 1917. Richard Arthur Price was removed for conduct "unworthy of a member of parliament and seriously reflecting on the dignity of the House", after a royal commission found he had made baseless allegations against a minister. Mr Price recontested and won the subsequent by-election just weeks later. Expulsion remains one of the most serious sanctions parliament can impose on one of its own. In the Legislative Council, the last expulsion occurred in 1969, when Alexander Armstrong MLC was found to have engaged in conduct that included procuring false evidence, entertaining the possibility of bribing a Supreme Court judge, and offering false testimony. Mr Armstrong unsuccessfully challenged his expulsion in the Court of Appeal. As the reality of Ward being jailed sinks in, there are mixed feelings on the streets of Kiama about the future. Couple Sue and Glenn Lawrence said the former Liberal turned independent had been effective for the electorate, but that it was time for him to resign. "I think it's the right thing to do, as much as he has done a lot for Kiama as a politician," Ms Lawrence said. Russell Hawkins said Ward should have stepped down long ago. "I think he shouldn't have contested the previous election," Mr Hawkins said. "He's been found guilty. I think it's repugnant what he did, and I'm glad he's going to be out." There was concern for the electorate of more than 80,000 people to be left without representation in parliament from next week. "There will have to be a vote for a new person," Mr Lawrence said. "You could get the Liberals coming back in again or Labor, I don't know, but we do need somebody here." Other residents said they were in less of a rush and were eager to wait until any appeal was finalised. "I'm puzzled," Rupert Jarvis said. "Overall, in his capacity as an MP, I think he does an excellent job." Another resident, Margaret Mitchell said: "He's done years and years of incredible service" for Kiama. Ward's electorate office in Kiama was temporarily closed last week but has since reopened. Staff told the ABC they were continuing to respond to enquiries and had received strong support from the community. They also urged the public to treat all political staff with respect. A day after he was sent to prison, Ward's defamation case against Sydney radio station 2SM was mentioned in the District Court. The case was relisted on the court's active list following Ward's conviction for sexual assault offences, prompting consideration of how the guilty verdict may affect the defamation proceedings. A certificate of conviction could be tendered as part of the broadcaster's early serious harm defence or in support of an application for summary dismissal. The matter is due back in court on September 11.
ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
MP convicted of sex offences to continue receiving salary
New South Wales MP Gareth Ward has spent his first night in jail after being convicted of sexually abusing two young men last week. The Member for Kiama, on the state's south coast, was taken into custody on Wednesday and will remain behind bars until he is sentenced in September. Ward has not resigned from the parliament, and continues to receive his taxpayer-funded salary. But a motion to expel him from his seat is expected to be passed when the lower house returns next week. So can Ward continue to sit in parliament despite being convicted of sex offences? ABC NewsRadio's Sarah Morice spoke with Anne Twomey, a Professor Emeritus of Constitutional Law at the University of Sydney's Law School.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Former Canberra academic found guilty of raping two women after facing third trial
A former Canberra academic tried three times for rape in the ACT Supreme Court is now behind bars after he was found guilty by a jury today. Warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse. In the latest trial, Rick Emory McGary faced three charges of rape. One related to an incident in his room at the Australian National University (ANU) in 2016. The other two counts arose from an incident with a woman in a car at the Cotter Reserve where the pair had gone to celebrate his birthday in 2020. Today the jury found him guilty of two out of the three charges, one against each victim. McGary maintained his innocence throughout, describing the incidents in detail to the jury, but saying he believed he had consent. But prosecutors said he was a "determined pursuer" with a tendency to disrespect sexual boundaries of partners. The court heard McGary had engaged in love bombing, exchanging more than 3,000 messages with the second victim. McGary's first trial was aborted, and the second ended with a hung jury. Both had focused on the sexual assault during the "picnic" to celebrate his birthday. In the third trial, McGary faced an extra charge involving another woman who said she'd been sexually assaulted when she went to see McGary in his room at the ANU. The woman told the court the pair had engaged in some activity, but she had felt uncomfortable. "I said, 'I do not want to do this'," the woman said. "What?" McGary asked. The woman said she told him "sex" and he said, "okay". The woman told the court McGary had said to her, "Having sex would be a mistake". "I said, 'I've never made a mistake in my life'," the woman told the court, saying it was meant as a bad joke. The woman said that afterwards, McGary said to her, "This can never happen again". She also told the court the next day she sent McGary a text message saying, "You did the wrong thing yesterday". The court heard he replied, "Yeah, I know". But McGary's lawyer Andrew Tiedt pointed out the pair had competing perspectives on what happened. He told the jury it should consider that the pair had undressed and engaged in some sexual activity, with McGary saying afterwards, "I believe wholeheartedly she consented". Mr Tiedt said his suggestion they could not be together again may not have been gracious or chivalrous, but that didn't mean it was a sexual assault. The second incident happened when he'd gone to Cotter Reserve with another woman to celebrate his birthday, after buying wine and some food at a shop. The court heard at the time McGary said he had a "common law" wife, and practiced polyamory. The woman said she'd thought he was her boyfriend, but McGary told the court, "I consistently told her I was not going to enter a relationship with her". Prosecutor Trent Hickey challenged McGary. "You said to her father, 'Pleased to meet my girlfriend's father'," Mr Hickey said. "Under no circumstances did I do that," McGary told the jury. Before the alleged assault, the jury heard the woman said she told McGary she was scared. "[The victim] described it was like an out of body experience … in her mind she was running away," Ms Bayliss told the jury. "[Afterwards] he looked at her and said, "You did not even cry, you freak". The woman said McGary then threatened her, her family and her dog. McGary rejected the accusations, saying he believed the woman did consent. Mr Tiedt challenged many of the claims against his client, pointing to inconsistencies in the evidence. That included messages from the second woman who sent a text that night saying, "I hope you had a beautiful birthday, I love you". But when it was suggested to her that she had consented she said, "Bullshit, I said no". The jury took two-and-a-half days to reach its verdict. McGary's lawyer asked he be granted bail to return to Western Australia to put his affairs in order. But that was refused, given the inevitability of a jail term.
