A “callous and predatory” homosexual ex-NSW Liberal minister has been jailed for raping one young man and sexually abusing another in Sydney.
Former Kiama MP Gareth Ward, 44, was sentenced to five years and nine months’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of three years and nine months by Judge Kara Shead SC in Parramatta District Court on Friday.
A jury earlier this year unanimously found Ward, who was Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services in the Berejiklian Liberal government until 2021, guilty of one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of indecent assault following a a nine-week trial.
Ward’s offences, which occurred at his Potts Point apartment and Meroo Meadow home in 2013 and 2015, are too disgusting to describe.
Judge Shead said in sentencing that Ward “acted in a callous and predatory manner” and praised the courage of his victims – a political staffer who was 24 at the time, and a man who was just 18, ABC News reported.
She found that in raping the older man Ward “deliberately and callously inflicted the sexual assault” and “knew the victim was suffering sexual pain yet continued with sexual intercourse until he achieved sexual satisfaction”.
Ward’s lawyers argued that the loss of his political career was additional punishment and that media coverage of his downfall should be a mitigating factor, but Judge Shead rejected both arguments, finding they had “limited weight”.
However, she did take into account his albinism, which made him fearful of his safety in custody and noted a general risk he would be targeted with violence behind bars due to his profile.
Ward will be eligible for parole in April 2029, but his legal team told the court he intends to appeal his convictions.
Header image: Left, right, Gareth Ward.
