A man who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a state MP has been questioned about a number of apparently inconsistent statements to police about the incident.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward, 44, is on trial in the NSW District Court after pleading not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault charges.
He is accused of inviting a drunk 18-year-old man - who was 17 when they met - to his South Coast home in February 2013 and indecently assaulting him three times.
The man told the jury he was in a "jocular mood" after Ward had plied him with drinks, so he decided to play a prank on the MP by pretending to be passed out on the grass in the backyard.
However, Ward's barrister David Campbell SC pointed to the complainant's statement to police in December 2020 in which he suggested he either lost his footing or passed out.
When he pressed the complainant to identify the correct explanation, the man said he knew he made the conscious decision to lay down and play a trick on Ward.
He said the memory was one that he tried to push to the back of his mind for a long time and he had been stressed when he went to the police, so he hadn't been able to properly reflect on the moment.
"With a bit more time, I was able to think about why I was lying on the ground," the complainant said.
"You know how when you think about something for longer that you haven't had to think about for a long time, it can kind of jog your memory?"
He accepted the statement to police was a different account to the one he had given the jury, but he stood by his testimony that he had been on the grass to trick Ward.
The complainant told the jury Ward found him on the grass and tried to wake him before sliding his hands into the teen's shorts and touching his buttocks and scrotum.
Later that night, he said he had been lying facedown on the bed when the MP "mounted" him without his permission and massaged his lower back despite repeated requests to stop.
Mr Campbell also grilled the man on why he had given police the wrong date when making his report about the alleged assaults.
The complainant said he had mistakenly linked them to his friend's birthday - a week prior - instead of the friend's birthday party.
The court was told he made six separate statements to police about the alleged assaults over four years.
Ward is also accused of sexually assaulting a drunk political staffer after a NSW Parliament House event in 2015.
The man, who was 24 at the time but is now in his 30s, said Ward climbed into bed with him, groped his backside, and sexually assaulted him despite him repeatedly saying "no".
Ward was charged in 2022 over the claims, which he has continued to deny.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
