Previous Australian Lawmaker Sentenced for More Than Five Years for Sexual Offenses
An ex- Australian politician sentenced of assaulting two victims he met through his position has been sentenced to five years and nine months in jail.
Case Details
The defendant, mid-forties, remained in jail since mid-year after a jury found him guilty of raping a victim and indecently assaulting a second person, in different occasions in over two years.
Ward acted for the seaside community of Kiama in the NSW parliament from the year 2011. He left his position as a government cabinet member when accusations came to light in 2021 but declined to leave the legislature and returned to office in 2023.
Judgment Information
The presiding officer the judicial figure evaluated the defendant's condition of sight disability in the ruling and found "no other penalty other than detention would be suitable".
Ward, who appeared via video-link at the judicial venue, will serve at no less than three years and nine months in detention before he can apply for early release.
The court official declared the legal system needs to "send a stern message to potential criminals that criminal acts of this nature will be subject to serious punishments".
Additional Information
The judge added Ward had "escaped justice for a decade and enjoyed a life without a treatment or punishment for the offenses during that time".
After his conviction, the individual initiated a rejected court challenge to stay in government and stepped down moments before the legislature could remove him.
His legal team has indicated before he plans to contest the guilty verdict.
Case Facts
The defendant's extended court case in the judicial venue was told that he invited a inebriated young adult to his home in 2013 and indecently assaulted him repeatedly, despite the victim's efforts to oppose.
Two years later, he sexually assaulted a mid-twenties political staffer at his residence after a function at government offices.
He had maintained the 2015 rape never occurred, and that the additional accuser was confused about their interaction from 2013.
The state's attorneys maintained that significant resemblances in the testimonies of the victims, who were unacquainted with each other, demonstrated they were accurate in their accounts.
Court members deliberated for 72 hours before announcing the guilty verdicts.
The political exit prompted a special election in his constituency in last fall, which was secured by the opposition party.
