A state MP is set to lose his seat after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two young men – one of whom was a teenager – during his time in office.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward, 44, stood trial in the NSW District Court after pleading not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault charges.
He was accused of inviting a drunk 18-year-old man – whom he had met a year prior – to his South Coast home in February 2013.
The man told the jury that Ward plied him with drinks before indecently assaulting him three times in one night, despite his attempts to resist.
Two years later, the long-time MP sexually assaulted an intoxicated political staffer after a mid-week event at NSW Parliament House 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’.
After deliberating for two-and-a-half days, the jury on Friday returned unanimous guilty verdicts for the four sexual offences.
A verdict on a fifth charge of common assault was not necessary because the jurors found the act amounted to an indecent assault.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward, 44, stood trial after pleading not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault charges (pictured with former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian)
Ward will be sentenced at a later date.
After the jury was dismissed, crown prosecutor Monika Knowles applied for Ward to be taken into custody.
The application was adjourned until Wednesday but Ward will be restrained by strict bail conditions until then.
He is required to report to police daily and notify officers when he is planning to move between his Sydney and South Coast homes.
Ward didn’t speak as he walked out of Darlinghurst Courthouse on Friday afternoon – a stark contrast to his usual smile at waiting photographers.
His parliamentary position could become vacant as a result of the convictions, one of which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail.
The NSW Constitution states MPs will have their seat vacated if convicted of offences punishable with a term of more than five years’ imprisonment.
But Ward still has time to lodge an appeal.
Ward, a state MP, is set to lose his seat after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two young men – one of whom was a teenager – during his time in office (pictured leaving court on Friday)
A NSW government spokesperson said the justice system had delivered a decisive outcome and Ward should resign from parliament immediately.
‘Should Mr Ward refuse to resign, the government will take steps to protect the Legislative Assembly’s integrity,’ the spokesperson said in a statement.
Liberal Party leader Mark Speakman has called for Ward’s resignation.
‘The Member for Kiama must resign from Parliament. If Mr Ward does not resign, then upon its resumption the Parliament should swiftly take all appropriate steps to protect its integrity,’ Speakman said.
Ward denied the allegations against him, claiming the incidents either didn’t happen or didn’t amount to sexual abuse.
But Ms Knowles said there were too many similarities between the accounts of the two complainants – who didn’t know each other – to be a coincidence.
They were emotionally vulnerable and had been drinking when Ward invited them over, plied them with more drinks and sexually abused them without consent while they were lying down, she said.
‘You might think what happened to (the complainants) did not happen by random chance or just dumb luck,’ Ms Knowles told the jury.
Liberal Party leader Mark Speakman (pictured) has called for Ward’s resignation
Ward (pictured) has held the Kiama electorate since 2011, winning three elections under the Liberal banner before securing the 2023 poll as an independent
‘Similar behaviour, similar setting, same man, same conclusion. This is not a coincidence.’
The evidence showed Ward had a tendency to act on his sexual interest in young men less powerful than he was by committing sexual offences against them, the prosecutor argued.
‘These people weren’t overtaken by force, they were taken by surprise,’ Ms Knowles said.
Ward has held the Kiama electorate since 2011, winning three elections under the Liberal banner before securing the 2023 poll as an independent.
