NSW Disabilities Minister Gareth Ward found naked and disoriented

Police twice had to escort Gareth Ward home after finding him at the door of the wrong unit.

Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward was found disorientated and naked by police on Wednesday night.

NSW Disabilities Minister Gareth Ward was found naked and disoriented by police officers at his Sydney unit block on Wednesday night, and twice had to be escorted back to his apartment by authorities. 

Police said officers were called to the Potts Point unit block about 11:30pm following reports Mr Ward, who is also the Families and Communities minister, had attempted to open the front door of the wrong apartment. The Australian has been told he had been standing on the wrong floor of the building at the time.

When police arrived they found him on the correct level of the building, still naked, and still trying to enter his apartment.

“Officers from Kings Cross Police Area Command attended a short time later, locating a naked man standing in the doorway of another unit, and after determining that was his residence, escorted him inside,” police said in a statement.

Mr Ward, the Liberal MP for Kiama, declined to be transported to hospital when paramedics arrived to assist. About an hour later officers were called back to the apartment following a report that Mr Ward was walking around the common areas of the building in his underpants.

Once again, he was returned to his unit where, again, he declined medical assistance. Neighbours told officers they believed the 38-year-old had been drinking wine, which they could smell.

When officers returned to Mr Ward’s apartment at 7:30am on Thursday to check on his welfare, he told them he was completely unaware of the disturbances.

“He didn’t realise what had happened,” a person with knowledge of the matter said. Police advised him to seek further assistance from his general practitioner, and no further action is anticipated, the statement said.

Mr Ward issued his own statement earlier on Thursday afternoon to clarify the events, saying that he had undergone a medical procedure on Tuesday and had been placed under general anaesthetic. He said it was the second time in a week he had been admitted to hospital.

“Last night I became disorientated while at home,” he said. “I would like to thank emergency services for returning me to my apartment.”

A neighbour of Mr Ward’s told Channel Seven the Minister had knocked at her door numerous times during the incident.

“He kept knocking really loud at the door. No shirt, no pants, nothing.”

He declined to comment further to The Australian when contacted.

Mr Ward, a trained solicitor, was born with Oculocutaneous Albinism and has been legally blind since birth. He was elected to NSW parliament in 2011 as the first Liberal member for Kiama, and won the seat again during the March 2019 election with a swing towards him.

In 2017 Mr Ward was the victim of a scam in New York City after ordering and paying for a massage to be delivered to his hotel room.

He was forced to contact police after two African-American men arrived, began filming, and demanded more money of him while he was in a state of undress.

The men ran away after he convinced them to come downstairs to hotel reception, where he raised the alarm to call security.