Overview
- Judge Kara Shead delivered the sentence in Parramatta District Court following Ward’s July jury convictions after a lengthy trial.
- The court found Ward indecently assaulted an 18-year-old at his Meroo Meadow home in 2013 and had sexual intercourse without consent with a 24-year-old political staffer at his Potts Point apartment in 2015.
- Shead said the offending was deliberate and predatory and commended the victims’ courage, noting long-term psychological harm.
- Ward has been in custody since July and appeared by video link from Cessnock prison, with the sentence backdated to July 30, 2025.
- A late defence bid to apply historical sentencing practices delayed the hearing to Friday, and Ward has lodged an appeal against his convictions.