Former Down Under Politician Jailed for Over 60 Months for Sex Crimes
An ex- Australian politician found guilty of sexually abusing two victims connected through work has been sentenced to nearly six years in jail.
Case Details
The former official, 44, was in jail since July after judicial panel found him guilty of attacking an individual and sexually abusing a second person, in different occasions in 2013 then 2015.
The defendant served the coastal town of the regional area in the NSW legislature from 2011. He resigned as a Liberal Party official when accusations emerged in 2021 but refused to quit his seat and won again in 2023.
Sentencing Details
The presiding officer Kara Shead considered the defendant's condition of vision impairment in the ruling and concluded "no other penalty besides detention could be considered".
The convicted individual, who appeared via video-link at the courthouse, will undergo at no less than 45 months in custody before he can seek conditional freedom.
The judge declared the court needs to "send a stern message to similar individuals that criminal acts such as this will be subject to serious punishments".
Further Details
She also said Ward had "evaded consequences for ten years and lived freely absent a programme or penalty for his actions during that time".
After his conviction, the individual attempted a unsuccessful appeal attempt to remain in government and left office shortly before the legislature could remove him.
Representatives has stated earlier he aims to contest the conviction.
Trial Evidence
Ward's lengthy proceedings in the NSW District Court was told that he asked a intoxicated young adult to his property in the first incident and attacked him on multiple occasions, despite his attempts to resist.
In 2015, he sexually assaulted a mid-twenties political staffer at his property after a gathering at parliament.
He had maintained the later assault didn't happen, and that the additional accuser was misremembering their meeting from the first incident.
The state's attorneys maintained that striking similarities in the testimonies of the two men, who were unacquainted with each other, demonstrated they were being honest.
A jury considered for 72 hours before returning the convictions.
Ward's resignation caused a replacement vote in his constituency in autumn, which was claimed by the challenger.