Former New South Wales MP Gareth Ward has been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for sexually abusing two young men. The sentence was handed down by Judge Kara Shead in Parramatta District Court on Friday, with a non-parole period of three years and nine months.
Ward, 44, appeared via video link from Cessnock prison after resigning as the independent MP for Kiama in early August, just hours before parliament was set to expel him. The judge noted his lack of prior criminal record and his legal blindness as factors for a more lenient non-parole period. The sentence is backdated to late July 2025, meaning Ward could be released in April 2029.
Ward was found guilty in July of three counts of indecent assault and one of sexual intercourse without consent, relating to incidents in 2013 and 2015. Judge Shead described his actions as “callous and predatory” with high moral culpability. She noted that in one assault, Ward continued despite knowing the victim was in pain and had voiced non-consent.
Victim impact statements revealed lasting trauma. One victim, a 24-year-old political staffer, said his dreams of entering politics were shattered after feeling colleagues sided with Ward. Another victim, who was 18 at the time of the assault, described severe mental health issues and fear after Ward publicly denied wrongdoing. The judge found a significant power imbalance between Ward and his victims.
Ward is appealing the convictions. His lawyers had argued for a lesser sentence due to his “enormous fall from grace,” but the judge ruled this was an inevitable consequence of his offending. Ward, an accomplished violinist, had planned to work as a barrister after politics.
