Ex-Australian MP Gareth Ward jailed for sex crimes

Former Australian politician Gareth Ward has been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for sexually abusing two young men he met through his political work. The 44-year-old, who represented the coastal town of Kiama in the New South Wales Parliament, was found guilty of raping one man and indecently assaulting another in separate incidents that took place in 2013 and 2015.

Ward, who is legally blind, appeared via video link from prison at the Parramatta District Court as Judge Kara Shead SC delivered the sentence. She ruled that “no other penalty other than imprisonment is appropriate,” ordering Ward to serve at least three years and nine months before being eligible for parole.

The court heard that in 2013, Ward invited an 18-year-old man, who was intoxicated at the time, to his home and indecently assaulted him multiple times despite his resistance. Two years later, he raped a 24-year-old political staffer after an event at Parliament. Both victims described lasting trauma, with one saying he turned to alcohol and drugs to cope, while the other said the assault shattered his hopes of pursuing a political career.

Judge Shead described Ward’s conduct as “callous and predatory,” emphasizing that his crimes had gone unpunished for nearly a decade. She also rejected claims from Ward’s defense that his public disgrace and media scrutiny were punishment enough.

Ward maintained his innocence throughout the trial, insisting that one incident never happened and the other was misremembered. However, the prosecution pointed out the strong similarities between the victims’ accounts—two men who didn’t know each other—which convinced the jury of his guilt after three days of deliberation.

Ward, who was first elected in 2011, resigned as a Liberal Party minister when the allegations surfaced in 2021 but refused to step down from Parliament. Even after being found guilty in July, he launched a failed attempt to keep his seat, eventually resigning moments before being expelled.

Following his conviction, a by-election was held in Kiama in September, which was won by a Labor candidate. Ward’s legal team has said he plans to appeal the verdict, but for now, the once-prominent MP faces years behind bars for crimes that shook public trust and ended his political career.