Former Australian Public Figure Sentenced for Above 60 Months for Sexual Offenses
A former lawmaker convicted of assaulting two young men he met through work was given to 69 months in prison.
Legal Proceedings
The defendant, mid-forties, was in prison since mid-year after the court found him guilty of raping an individual and indecently assaulting another, in multiple events in 2013 then 2015.
The politician served the oceanfront municipality of the district in the state legislature from 2011. He stepped down as a political party minister when allegations emerged in 2021 but declined to leave parliament and returned to office in 2023.
Judgment Information
The presiding officer Kara Shead evaluated the defendant's condition of sight disability in the ruling and found "no alternative punishment other than detention is appropriate".
The defendant, who appeared via video-link at the judicial venue, will undergo at no less than three years and nine months in prison before he can request early release.
The court official said the legal system needs to "issue a clear statement to potential criminals that criminal acts like these will be met with serious punishments".
Case Background
The judge added the convicted man had "escaped justice for a decade and lived freely free from a treatment or punishment for his actions during that time".
After his conviction, the individual launched a rejected court challenge to stay in parliament and resigned just prior to the legislature could expel him.
His legal team has stated earlier he intends to contest the conviction.
Case Facts
Ward's extended court case in the NSW District Court was told that he invited a intoxicated teenager to his property in 2013 and attacked him three times, despite the victim's efforts to resist.
Two years later, he sexually assaulted a young office worker at his residence after a gathering at government offices.
The defendant had maintained the second incident never occurred, and that the first victim was inaccurate regarding their interaction from the first incident.
The state's attorneys contended that striking similarities in the accounts of the individuals, who were unacquainted with one another, demonstrated they were being honest.
The panel considered for 72 hours before returning the guilty verdicts.
Ward's resignation led to a by-election in the district in September, which was won by the Labor candidate.
