New South Wales state politician Gareth Ward has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two young men, following a lengthy trial in the NSW District Court.
Ward, who remains a sitting member of the state parliament, was convicted on three counts of indecent assault and one count of rape.
The incidents took place between 2013 and 2015 and involved two victims aged 18 and 24 at the time. Both men came into contact with Ward through political events and connections.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Ward assaulted the 18-year-old at his home after inviting him over while he was intoxicated.
Despite the young man’s attempts to resist, Ward assaulted him on three separate occasions during the visit.
In a separate incident two years later, Ward raped a political staffer after a professional gathering at parliament.
Both men testified in court, offering accounts that closely mirrored each other, despite never having met or spoken to one another.
The court heard that the encounters took place in similar environments and involved similar behavior by Ward.
The jury reached a verdict after three days of deliberation, concluding a nine-week trial.
Ward denied the allegations, claiming the 2015 incident did not occur and that the 2013 interaction was misunderstood.
However, the court accepted the victims’ accounts, citing the consistency and details in their testimonies.
Ward resigned from his role as a state minister and left the Liberal Party when the allegations became public in 2021.
Despite the charges, he continued to serve in parliament and was re-elected as the member for Kiama in 2023.
The NSW government had previously discussed the possibility of removing Ward from parliament, but deferred action due to concerns that doing so might interfere with the judicial process. Ward is expected to face sentencing later this year.