Overview
- The Parramatta District Court imposed a maximum term of five years nine months with a non-parole period of three years nine months, backdated to 30 July 2025, making him eligible for parole in April 2029.
- A jury in July convicted the former Kiama MP of three indecent assaults against an 18-year-old at his South Coast home in 2013 and of sexual intercourse without consent with a 24-year-old staffer in his Potts Point apartment in 2015.
- Judge Kara Shead found the offending was deliberate and predatory, that Ward knew the staffer did not consent, and that he exploited the men’s intoxication and a clear power imbalance.
- Victim impact statements described years of depression, flashbacks, substance misuse and suicidal thoughts stemming from the assaults.
- Ward appeared by video link from Cessnock prison, a last-minute dispute over applicable sentencing practices failed to change the outcome, and his solicitor said he intends to appeal.