In her sentencing, Judge Shead described Ward’s behaviour towards the 25-year-old as “callous and predatory”.
She found he had no regard for the man’s wellbeing, knew he did not consent, and took advantage of his intoxication.
“He [the victim] should have been safe in the home of the offender as a guest,” she said.
While Ward submitted he was subjected to an enormous amount of negative publicity, Judge Shead said it was “inevitable” that the crimes would attract a level of media scrutiny.
“The level of reporting could not have been a surprise to the offender.”
She also referred to emotional victim impact statements written by the two men, which shared the devastating impacts of the assaults.
The older victim said the assault had a “lasting impact on his life” and “took away everything”, including at times his “will to go on”.
The other victim said he often experienced dreams and flashbacks to the night of the assault.
The charges sparked calls for Ward to resign from the NSW parliament.
Beginning his political career in 2011, he became a Liberal member for Kiama in 2011, a seat he held until his guilty verdict.
He resigned in August, just hours before a motion to expel him was expected to go before the Legislative Assembly.
The motion came after a challenge by Ward’s lawyers against his expulsion failed in the Court of Appeal.
Historical sexual abuse
The court was told during Ward’s trial that, in 2013, he had invited the man who was then 18 to his home in Meroo Meadow, where he “encouraged” the young man to drink.
On the grass outside, he put both hands on him and, without warning, put one hand down the man’s pants and touched his buttocks.
The man says he “froze” as Ward moved his hand to his genital area.
The pair then went inside, with Ward directing the man towards his bedroom, telling him it wasn’t safe to sleep alone.
The man lay face down on the bed before Ward sat on his buttocks and started to massage his back, he told the court.
Two years later, in 2015, Ward and a political staffer attended an event at NSW Parliament House before heading back to Ward’s apartment in Potts Point, on Sydney Harbour.
There, Ward climbed into bed with the man, put his hands on his buttocks and sexually assaulted him, despite being repeatedly asked to stop.
Ward’s last-minute resignation triggered a contentious byelection in Kiama in September, with Labor claiming victory.
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.
