Former Down Under Public Figure Imprisoned for Above 60 Months for Sex Crimes
A former Australian politician sentenced of assaulting two victims he met through his position has been sentenced to five years and nine months in jail.
Trial Information
The former official, forty-four, was in custody since July after a jury found him guilty of raping one man and attacking another individual, in different occasions in 2013 and 2015.
The politician served the coastal town of the regional area in the state legislature from 2011. He stepped down as a Liberal Party minister when accusations came to light in 2021 but refused to quit his seat and was re-elected in 2023.
Court Ruling
The presiding officer Kara Shead considered the defendant's condition of sight disability in the ruling and determined "no other penalty besides detention would be suitable".
The convicted individual, who participated via remote connection at the courthouse, will serve at minimum three years and nine months in detention before he can seek parole.
The judge said the judicial system needs to "send a stern message to similar individuals that illegal behaviors of this nature will be faced with serious punishments".
Additional Information
She also said the defendant had "escaped justice for a decade and experienced freedom without a treatment or punishment for the offenses during those years".
Following the verdict, Ward launched a unsuccessful legal bid to stay in parliament and stepped down just prior to the legislature could expel him.
His legal team has indicated before he aims to contest the conviction.
Trial Evidence
His extended court case in the NSW District Court heard that he invited a drunk 18-year-old man to his property in 2013 and sexually abused him on multiple occasions, despite his attempts to fight back.
Subsequently, he raped a young government employee at his property after an event at government offices.
He had maintained the 2015 rape was fabricated, and that the other complainant was confused about their encounter from the earlier year.
However, prosecutors argued that significant resemblances in the statements of the two men, who were unacquainted with each other, showed they were telling the truth.
A jury debated for three days before announcing the findings of guilt.
The political exit caused a special election in Kiama in last fall, which was claimed by the Labor candidate.
