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an ex new South Wales MP has been sentenced to almost six years in jail Rape and sexual assault of a young man A teenager.
Gareth Ward, 44, jailed since July after being found guilty by a jury, was sentenced in the Parramatta District Court on Friday. He appeared via video link from Cessnock Prison when Judge Cara Sheed handed down sentence.
The former independent MP for Kiama was convicted of three counts of indecent assault against an 18-year-old man in 2013 and one count of sexual intercourse without consent against a 24-year-old man in 2015.
Ward had denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.
The former Liberal minister was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison with a non-parole period of three years and nine months.
He was given a reduced non-parole period due to his legally blind disability and absence of prior crimes.
Both survivors watched the proceedings via audio-visual link and Judge Sheed praised their courage. The judge accepted the young survivor’s statement and noted that Ward gave her alcohol and urged her to drink after he reached her home.
The court found that “beyond reasonable doubt that the victim was unconscious when the crime occurred”. The judge said the reaction was common and often misunderstood.
He added, “Many people think that victims can physically resist or scream. This is still a widespread misconception.”
He said the young survivor’s statement provided the court with a powerful reminder of the “devastating effects” of the crime.
The judge said, “The courage and strength of a victim to come forward, especially where the complaint relates to a public figure, is immense and should not be underestimated.”
He said the court needed to send a “strong message” to like-minded criminals that sexual crimes would be punished appropriately.
The judge said Ward “evaded justice for a decade and during that time enjoyed a life free from any programs or punishment for his crimes”.
Ward was accused of inviting an intoxicated teenager to his South Coast home in February 2013 and assaulting him three times in one night despite the youth’s attempts to resist.
Two years later, Ward raped a drunken staffer after an event at the NSW Parliament House.
Ward claimed rape This never happened and the second complainant was misremembering his 2013 encounter.
Ward was first elected to State Parliament as a Liberal MP in 2011, before being appointed Parliamentary Secretary in 2015. He became Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services after the 2019 election.
Ward resigned from both the ministry and the party in May 2021 after revealing he was the subject of a police investigation.
He then moved to the crossbench as an independent.
Two years later, he was re-elected as the independent MP for Kiama, defeating Labor candidate Caitlin McInerney by a narrow margin.
Rape Crisis provides support to people affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website www.rapcrisis.org.uk. If you’re in the US, you can call Ren at 800-656-HOPE (4673).