A year after he was charged, Gareth Ward will formally enter pleas tomorrow to historic sexual and indecent assault charges.
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While Mr Ward has maintained his innocence throughout a police investigation and since being charged in March last year, he will formally enter pleas during an arraignment in Nowra District Court on Tuesday, March 28.
They were expected to be entered next week during an arraignment in the District Court in Sydney, but in a surprise development the case was listed in Nowra's District Court sitting on Monday, March 27.
Mr Ward's lawyer Rob Foster told the court the matter was listed for Sydney next week, when issues including a prosecution application to change the venue and a defence application to separate the matters into two separate trials were to be discussed.
But District Court Judge Christopher O'Brien said he wanted to move things forward.
"I'm here, there's a judge here, can't we progress the matter in some way?" he said during the call over in Nowra.
He ordered the matter to return to the court tomorrow (Tuesday) for an arraignment, where pleas will be formally entered.
IN OTHER NEWS:
The next step in the legal battle comes as Mr Ward fights for his political life in the NSW state election.
Votes continue to be counted in the Kiama electorate on South Coast, which Mr Ward has held for the past 12 years, with the result remaining too close to call.
The latest figures have Mr Ward about 500 votes ahead of Labor's Katelin McInerney on primary votes, but Ms McInerney leading the two candidate preferred by about 900 votes.
