Gareth Ward’s sexual abuse trial told of key similarities in evidence

Two men who accused an MP of sexual abuse are complete “strangers”, yet the pair’s allegations bear “remarkable similarities”, a court has been told.

Two young men who accused Kiama MP Gareth Ward of sexual abuse are “strangers” living “separate lives”, yet both have come forward with allegations that bear “remarkable similarities”, a court has been told.

Mr Ward, a NSW independent MP, was charged in March 2022 with three counts of assault with act of indecency, an alternative charge of common assault against an 18-year-old man at Meroo Meadow in 2013, and intercourse without consent against a 24-year-old man in Potts Point in 2015.

Closing submissions have begun in Kiama MP Gareth Ward’s sexual abuse trial. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

Since his arrest three years ago, the 43-year-old has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all counts.

In Darlinghurst District Court on Thursday, Crown prosecutor Monika Knowles began her closing submissions and told the jury that it was is “not a coincidence” that two men came forward with similar allegations.

“These are two young men … strangers to each other living in separate cities hours apart from each other and living separate lives, yet both have stepped forward with allegations that bear remarkable similarities,” she said.

Some of these similarities, Ms Knowles explained, included both men describing their nature as “very unequal” in terms of the power dynamic with Mr Ward.

The accused was “very senior” to the men, she said, with one of the young men “barely out of high school” when he met Mr Ward, who was “like a local celebrity” to him.

Other similarities suggested by the Crown included both alleged assaults taking place at Mr Ward’s home – one in Potts Point and the other at Meroo Meadow – and both men said they were intoxicated when they were invited to his home.

“Both say that when they arrived at the accused’s home they were quite intoxicated and they were given further alcohol … and you could say they were encouraged to drink,” Ms Knowles said.

No one else was home at the time of both alleged assaults, she told the court, and both men were lying down when Mr Ward allegedly initiated the acts.

Mr Ward has repeatedly denied the allegations since they were first reported to police. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

“You might think what happened to the men did not happen by random chance or just dumb luck,” Ms Knowles said.

“This is not a coincidence.”

The Crown suggested the evidence demonstrated that Mr Ward had a tendency to have a sexual interest in young men and to act upon this interest by committing sexual acts against them.

Man made to “second guess himself”

Ms Knowles further spoke about evidence given by a complainant who was 24 at the time of the alleged assault.

The complainant had earlier told the court that he attended an event on the night of the alleged assault at NSW Parliament House in 2015 before heading back to Mr Ward’s apartment, where the politician is alleged to have tried to kiss the man before showing him to a room.

In the room, Mr Ward had allegedly stripped down to his boxers before putting an arm over the man and his hands on the man’s buttocks before he was told to stop.

It’s alleged Mr Ward, without warning, digitally penetrated the man before kissing his neck and masturbating.

Ms Knowles on Thursday reminded the court how the man said he had been in “shock” and felt “a little dirty and confused” after the sexual acts, which the crown says the man “at no stage” agreed to.

The following morning, the prosecution says the pair walked back to Parliament House together, with Mr Ward telling the man he “looked a little worse for wear” and suggested he might have “had a bit too much to drink”.

The crown suggested this comment was made to try and make the man “second guess himself” and believe he was “the messy one”.

The pair then stopped off for a coffee and something to eat, which Ms Knowles suggested was Mr Ward’s attempt at “smoothing things over from the night before”.

Mr Ward then allegedly told the man if he “stuck by him” he would “take care” of him.

The two maintained a professional relationship for some time after the alleged events, the court was told.

Further allegations

The second complainant, a man who had just turned 18 at the time of the alleged assault, had also been encouraged to drink on the night in question, the crown alleged.

The man had been at a party in the Shoalhaven area before leaving and getting in contact with Mr Ward, who invited him over to his Meroo Meadow home and offered to pay for his taxi ride, the court was told.

The court was told the then 18-year-old and Mr Ward continued drinking together at his home before the teen went outside and laid on the grass, pretending he had passed out as a “prank”.

Gareth Ward has sat in the docks each day for weeks during his criminal trial at Darlinghurst District Court. Photo: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

The man alleged Mr Ward was trying to get his attention and put both hands on him, then, without warning, put his hand down the man’s pants and touched his buttocks.

The man told the court that he “froze” and alleged he remembered Mr Ward’s “heavy breathing” as the politician moved his hand to the then teenager’s genital area.

“The accused knew [name redacted] was not consenting,” Ms Knowles said.

“He couldn’t possibly be consenting because of how sudden and surprising the act was.”

The man said he then told Mr Ward that he wanted to go to sleep and the pair went back inside, with the politician allegedly telling him it was “not safe” for him to sleep alone.

Mr Ward allegedly directed the man towards his bedroom, where the man laid face down on the bed, when without warning Mr Ward “mounted” him and sat on his buttocks, then started to massage his back.

“He said words to the effect of ‘no relax I’ll give you a massage, I’ve done a course in massage’,” Ms Knowles said quoting the man’s earlier evidence.

The man told the court the massage eventually ended and they went to sleep.

Ms Knowles alleged it was “clearly not just a massage” and that it had “sexual connotations”.

The prosecution’s closing submissions are expected to continue on Friday morning.

The allegations against Mr Ward were first reported to police in November 2020.

Beginning his political career in 2011, Mr Ward was a councillor on the Shoalhaven Council before becoming the Liberal member for Kiama in 2011, a seat he has held since.

Originally published as Gareth Ward’s sexual abuse trial told of key similarities in evidence