The sentencing of a former MP, convicted of sexually assaulting two young men, has been postponed following a last-minute legal maneuver by his defense team.
Gareth Ward, who once represented Kiama as a state MP, was found guilty in July of rape and three counts of indecent assault after a jury trial.
The 44-year-old was originally scheduled to receive his sentencing at Parramatta District Court today.
In one incident, Ward assaulted an inebriated political staff member at his city apartment, following an event at the New South Wales Parliament House. This incident occurred two years after Ward’s initial offenses.
The victim, who was 24 years old at the time, recounted how Ward got into bed with him, inappropriately touched him, and sexually assaulted him, despite his clear refusals.
During the trial, the man shared with the jury that he felt extremely uncomfortable and experienced a “jolt of pain” during the assault.
He said in a victim impact statement that any hope he had of finding future love after coming out in his 20s had been taken away by what happened.
“I was raped by a politician – someone entrusted with protecting our most vulnerable,” the man wrote.
Ward’s other victim reported being haunted by that night and fearing for his safety in the lead-up to the trial.
“The cost of this experience … has been a numbness, a dulling of my ability to fully experience and enjoy the positive things in life,” he wrote.
Ward has relied on his legal blindness and his public fall from grace to argue he should be given a community sentence rather than a jail term.
Character references tendered with the court, including from former Liberal MP Shelley Hancock, said the offending was out of character.
“I absolutely affirm that Gareth would not be a danger to anyone in the community at all,” Hancock wrote.
After reports police were investigating sexual crime allegations in 2021, Ward was removed from his position as minister for families, communities and disability services and shifted to the crossbench.
His personal vote was so significant he was re-elected as an independent during the 2023 election despite the charges hanging over his head.
Ward resigned from his position in August, hours before a parliamentary expulsion vote was due to take place.
In doing so, he narrowly avoided becoming the fifth person expelled from NSW Parliament in two centuries.
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