00:00The prosecution claims Gareth Ward invited the then 18-year-old complainant to his house
00:07in 2013 and fixed the pair drinks.
00:10The complainant told the court he thought it would be funny to pretend to be passed out
00:13drunk on the lawn, but while his eyes were still shut, the accused put his hand down
00:18his pants and rubbed his buttocks.
00:20The complainant said he wasn't wearing any underwear and Mr Ward then moved his hand
00:24to his thigh and scrotum.
00:25That sound of his heavy breath and the skin-on-skin feeling is the two feelings that have stuck
00:30with me, he said.
00:31The complainant said he initially froze before opening his eyes and telling Mr Ward he wanted
00:36to go to bed.
00:37Once they were inside, the complainant said Mr Ward steered him towards his bedroom.
00:42He put his hands on my shoulders and said something to the effect of I should sleep in his room
00:47because I was too drunk for it to be safe for me to sleep alone.
00:51He said after he lay face down on the bed, Mr Ward straddled him and began massaging his
00:55back.
00:56He said Mr Ward was much heavier than him and he couldn't move.
00:59The complainant told the court the MP initially resisted his request to stop and get off him,
01:04but then agreed and they both went to sleep.
01:06The complainant was shown a series of text messages showing he'd stayed in touch with
01:10Mr Ward in the months and years following the alleged assault.
01:13When asked why, he said he blamed himself for the incident and just wanted to put it in
01:17the back of his mind and pretend it hadn't happened.
01:20I just got on with being Gareth's bro, he said, but there was always that dynamic that
01:25he was in this powerful role, I believed, and he was this very connected person.
01:29I felt there was something in it for me to be aligned with him and I was proud of it.
01:34Throughout the trial, Mr Ward has maintained his innocence.
01:41Mr Ward has maintained his innocence.
