Alleged sex assault victim respects MP 'immensely'

A political staffer has admitted embellishing a glowing email he wrote to a state MP who allegedly sexually assaulted him years earlier.

Kiama MP Gareth Ward, 44, is on trial in the NSW District Court after pleading not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault charges.

The jury was told he approached a young, drunk political staffer after a mid-week event at NSW Parliament House in 2015 and offered him a place to stay for the night.

The man, who was 24 at the time but is now in his 30s, said Ward climbed into bed with him, groped his backside, and sexually assaulted him despite him repeatedly saying "no".

During his third day of cross-examination on Tuesday, he was asked about an email he wrote to Ward in March 2019, congratulating him on his appointment as minister for families.

"Your friendship means the world to me and my respect for you is already as high as it can be," the complainant wrote to Ward.

He told the jury he sent the email in the hopes of securing a job in politics at a time when he was worried about his career prospects, so he embellished and fibbed about appreciating Ward's friendship.

The complainant maintained the email was not inconsistent with his claims he had been sexually assaulted by Ward, whom he continues to hold in professional esteem.

"I respect Mr Ward immensely. He is an incredible local member and he has done some incredible work as a minister," the alleged victim said.

When asked if he told another political staffer that NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian had chosen a "rapist" for her cabinet, the complainant said he couldn't recall the conversation but the words were consistent with what he has reported.

He said he didn't tell anyone about the alleged sexual assault before 2019 because it was "incredibly embarrassing" and "not something I would bring up in conversation."

The jury was told the man was left feeling "dirty" and "confused" after the painful assault and he continued to ask himself whether he had invited the unwanted advances.

Ward is also accused of indecently assaulting an intoxicated 18-year-old in 2013 at his South Coast home after meeting the man at a networking event a year earlier.

The man claims the MP fondled his buttocks and scrotum, and gave him an unwelcome back massage despite his repeated requests to stop.

Ward, who was charged over the alleged assaults in 2022, is fighting the allegations in a four-week trial.

He has held the Kiama electorate since 2011, winning three elections as a Liberal before securing the 2023 poll as an independent.

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