Ex- Australian Public Figure Jailed for More Than Five Years for Criminal Acts
A former lawmaker convicted of assaulting two victims he met through work has been sentenced to 69 months in prison.
Legal Proceedings
The former official, forty-four, remained in prison since last summer after judicial panel determined his guilt of sexually assaulting an individual and sexually abusing a second person, in separate incidents in 2013 and 2015.
The defendant served the seaside community of the district in the New South Wales government from the year 2011. He left his position as a government minister when accusations came to light in recent years but declined to leave his seat and was re-elected in last year.
Sentencing Details
The presiding officer the judicial figure took into account Ward's disability of legal blindness in the judgment and found "no alternative punishment other than detention could be considered".
The defendant, who was present via digital means at the courthouse, will undergo at minimum three years and nine months in prison before he can seek early release.
Justice Shead said the judicial system needs to "deliver a strong warning to similar individuals that criminal acts of this nature will be met with significant consequences".
Additional Information
The judge added Ward had "evaded consequences for ten years and enjoyed a life without a rehabilitation program or consequence for his crimes during that period".
After his conviction, the politician attempted a rejected legal bid to remain in his position and stepped down just prior to the members could remove him.
Representatives has stated earlier he intends to appeal the ruling.
Incident Details
His extended court case in the state court heard that he asked a intoxicated young adult to his property in 2013 and indecently assaulted him repeatedly, despite his attempts to fight back.
In 2015, he attacked a mid-twenties political staffer at his home after a function at the legislature.
He had claimed the 2015 rape didn't happen, and that the additional accuser was misremembering their interaction from 2013.
The state's attorneys maintained that notable parallels in the accounts of the two men, who did not know each other, showed they were telling the truth.
Court members deliberated for multiple days before delivering the convictions.
Ward's resignation led to a special election in his constituency in last fall, which was won by the challenger.