Former Australian Lawmaker Sentenced for More Than Half a Decade for Sexual Offenses
One-time lawmaker convicted of assaulting two individuals encountered via work was given to nearly six years in prison.
Legal Proceedings
The former official, 44, has been in prison since July after the court convicted him of raping a victim and attacking another individual, in separate incidents in 2013 and 2015.
Ward represented the coastal town of the district in the NSW government from 2011. He stepped down as a political party cabinet member when accusations emerged in recent years but refused to quit the legislature and was re-elected in 2023.
Sentencing Details
The presiding officer the court official evaluated the defendant's condition of legal blindness in the ruling and concluded "no different consequence other than imprisonment could be considered".
The convicted individual, who appeared via remote connection at the courthouse, will complete at no less than nearly four years in custody before he can request conditional freedom.
The judge declared the legal system needs to "issue a clear statement to potential criminals that sexual offendings like these will be met with salutary penalties".
Case Background
She also said the convicted man had "escaped justice for a decade and enjoyed a life free from a rehabilitation program or punishment for the offenses during that time".
Post-trial, the politician attempted a rejected legal bid to continue in parliament and resigned shortly before the members could oust him.
Defense attorneys has stated earlier he intends to challenge the conviction.
Incident Details
The defendant's lengthy proceedings in the state court heard that he asked a intoxicated young adult to his property in 2013 and attacked him three times, despite resistance attempts to fight back.
Two years later, he raped a mid-twenties government employee at his home after an event at the legislature.
The defendant had argued the later assault was fabricated, and that the other complainant was misremembering their meeting from the earlier year.
However, prosecutors contended that significant resemblances in the statements of the individuals, who were unacquainted with each other, demonstrated they were telling the truth.
A jury debated for three days before announcing the guilty verdicts.
His departure prompted a special election in Kiama in September, which was claimed by the Labor candidate.
