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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
MP's career in tatters after being found guilty of sexually abusing two men
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. 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. 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. '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.
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Jury to deliberate after Kiama MP's eight-week trial
A jury deciding the fate of a former NSW minister accused of assault are expected to begin deliberations on Wednesday morning. Gareth Ward, the NSW independent MP for Kiama, was charged in March 2022 with three counts of assault with act of indecency, an alternative charge of common assault against an 18-year-old man at Meroo Meadow in 2013, and intercourse without consent against a 24-year-old man in Potts Point in 2015. Since his arrest three years ago, the 43-year-old has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all counts. In the Darlinghurst District Court on Tuesday, Judge Kara Shead SC finished her summing up of the case, and reminded the jury the onus of burden to prove each of the counts remains on the prosecution. After eight weeks of evidence, the jury are expected to begin their deliberations on Wednesday morning. In her closing address, Crown prosecutor Monika Knowles told the jury it is 'not a coincidence' that two men came forward with similar allegations. However, defence barrister David Campbell SC told the jury the crown had not discharged the burden it has in either of the two complainant's cases. The barrister urged the jury to find the MP not guilty on all counts. Mr Ward is alleged of assaulting a man, who had just turned 18 at the time of the alleged assault at Mr Ward's South Coast home in February 2013. It is also alleged the MP sexually assaulted another man – who was 24 at the time – at his Potts Point apartment in September 2015. The 43-year-old was charged by police in March 2022. Beginning his political career in 2011, Mr Ward was a councillor on the Shoalhaven Council before becoming the Liberal member for Kiama in 2011, a seat he has held since. He also held the role of NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services for just over two years.
News.com.au
17-07-2025
- News.com.au
Gareth Ward's sexual abuse trial told of key similarities in evidence
Two young men who accused Kiama MP Gareth Ward of sexual abuse are 'strangers' living 'separate lives', yet both have come forward with allegations that bear 'remarkable similarities', a court has been told. Mr Ward, a NSW independent MP, was charged in March 2022 with three counts of assault with act of indecency, an alternative charge of common assault against an 18-year-old man at Meroo Meadow in 2013, and intercourse without consent against a 24-year-old man in Potts Point in 2015. Since his arrest three years ago, the 43-year-old has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all counts. In Darlinghurst District Court on Thursday, Crown prosecutor Monika Knowles began her closing submissions and told the jury that it was is 'not a coincidence' that two men came forward with similar allegations. 'These are two young men … strangers to each other living in separate cities hours apart from each other and living separate lives, yet both have stepped forward with allegations that bear remarkable similarities,' she said. Some of these similarities, Ms Knowles explained, included both men describing their nature as 'very unequal' in terms of the power dynamic with Mr Ward. The accused was 'very senior' to the men, she said, with one of the young men 'barely out of high school' when he met Mr Ward, who was 'like a local celebrity' to him. Other similarities suggested by the Crown included both alleged assaults taking place at Mr Ward's home – one in Potts Point and the other at Meroo Meadow – and both men said they were intoxicated when they were invited to his home. 'Both say that when they arrived at the accused's home they were quite intoxicated and they were given further alcohol … and you could say they were encouraged to drink,' Ms Knowles said. No one else was home at the time of both alleged assaults, she told the court, and both men were lying down when Mr Ward allegedly initiated the acts. 'You might think what happened to the men did not happen by random chance or just dumb luck,' Ms Knowles said. 'This is not a coincidence.' The Crown suggested the evidence demonstrated that Mr Ward had a tendency to have a sexual interest in young men and to act upon this interest by committing sexual acts against them. The allegations against Mr Ward were first reported to police in November 2020. He is alleged to have assaulted a man, who had just turned 18, at Mr Ward's South Coast home in February 2013. It is also alleged the MP sexually assaulted another man – who was 24 years old at the time – at his Potts Point apartment in September 2015. Beginning his political career in 2011, Mr Ward was a councillor on the Shoalhaven Council before becoming the Liberal member for Kiama in 2011, a seat he has held since. The trial before a 13-person jury continues.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- News.com.au
Criminal trial for Kiama MP Gareth Ward begins
Distressing details of how Kiama MP Gareth Ward allegedly sexually abused two men have been heard in court, as the state independent sets out to fight the historic sexual assault allegations at trial. The 43-year-old arrived at the Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday, sporting a navy blue suit and an Akubra hat. Mr Ward was charged in March 2022, with three counts of assault with act of indecency, an alternative charge of common assault against an 18-year-old man at his Meroo Meadow home, in Shoalhaven in February 2013, and intercourse without consent against a 24-year-old man at his apartment in Potts Point, in September 2015. A jury for the four-week long trial was empanelled on Tuesday, and crown prosecutor Monika Knowles told the court in her opening address, she alleges Mr Ward indecently assaulted a man, who had just turned 18, at his home on the South Coast in February 2013. The court was told how Mr Ward had met the alleged victim, three months prior in Bomaderry, where they became friends. In February, 2013, the first complainant was at a party before Mr Ward allegedly offered for the alleged victim to come over to his house in Meroo Meadow, and offered to pay for his taxi ride. When he arrived, the 18-year-old realised no one else was at his home and the pair kept drinking at Mr Ward's house. At one point, the 18-year-old was laying on the grass when Mr Ward momentarily went inside. When Mr Ward returned outside the alleged victim pretended to be passed out on the grass, 'as a joke', the crown alleged. 'At this point … without warning the accused slid hand into his shorts and rubbed his buttocks,' she alleged. The alleged victim said he was in 'shock' and he 'froze', before Mr Ward allegedly moved his hand around to the 18-year-old's scrotum. Mr Ward was then told the 18-year-old wanted to go to bed, but Mr Ward replied it was 'not safe' for him to go to bed alone. Inside the home, the 18-year-old laid down on his stomach, before Mr Ward allegedly turned off the lights and mounted him, before allegedly massaging his back. The 18-year-old froze and told the accused to stop and that he wanted to go to sleep, to which Mr Ward allegedly told him to 'relax' before eventually stopping the massage and going to sleep next to him, the crown alleged. The two maintained contact on a 'social level', the court was told. The 18-year-old reported the alleged acts to police in November 2020. The second complainant, was 24 years-old at the time of the alleged sexual assault, in September 2015, the court was told. Ms Knowles alleged the 24-year-old and Mr Ward had attended an event at NSW Parliament House, before he invited the younger man over to his house, since he lived 'far away'. 'He had a few too many drinks and had a long journey ahead of him to go home,' she said. Mr Ward's Potts Point apartment was just a short walk from Parliament House, Ms Knowles said. At the apartment, Mr Ward allegedly poured more drinks for the younger man on the balcony before allegedly attempted to kiss him, to which the alleged victim said no. Mr Ward then allegedly kissed the 24-year-old again, before he was pushed away and said he wanted to go to bed. He was shown to his room by Mr Ward, who had allegedly stripped down to his boxers, before putting an arm over the man, before allegedly putting his hands on his buttocks before he was told to stop. Without warning, its alleged Mr Ward digitally penetrated him anally, before allegedly kissing his neck and masturbating to completion. The 24-year-old said he was left 'sad' and 'confused'. The following morning, while walking back to Parliament House, Mr Ward discussed the 24-year-old's future with him, and said he would take care of him, the crown alleged. The two maintained a professional relationship for some time after the alleged events. In March, 2022, the second complainant made a formal statement to police and Mr Ward was formally charged. Mr Ward, who remains on conditional bail, has pleaded not guilty to each of the five charges against him. He was committed for trial in August 2022, however, the trial has been delayed a number of times. Beginning his political career in 2011, Mr Ward was a councillor on the Shoalhaven Council, before becoming the Liberal Member for Kiama in 2011. The trial continues.
