Ex- Down Under Public Figure Imprisoned for Over Half a Decade for Sexual Offenses
An ex- lawmaker convicted of sexually abusing two individuals he met through work received a sentence to 69 months in detention.
Trial Information
The defendant, forty-four, has been in jail since July after judicial panel determined his guilt of attacking one man and sexually abusing a second person, in multiple events in 2013 and 2015.
The defendant represented the coastal town of the district in the New South Wales parliament from 2011. He left his position as a Liberal Party cabinet member when allegations surfaced in 2021 but resisted resigning from parliament and returned to office in 2023.
Court Ruling
Judge Kara Shead evaluated Ward's disability of legal blindness in her sentence and concluded "no alternative punishment besides incarceration would be suitable".
The convicted individual, who participated via remote connection at the judicial venue, will undergo at least nearly four years in prison before he can request conditional freedom.
Justice Shead said the judicial system needs to "deliver a strong warning to similar individuals that sexual offendings such as this will be faced with salutary penalties".
Additional Information
Additionally stated Ward had "escaped justice for multiple years and enjoyed a life free from a rehabilitation program or consequence for the offenses during that time".
After his conviction, Ward attempted a failed court challenge to continue in parliament and left office shortly before the members could expel him.
Representatives has stated earlier he plans to appeal the ruling.
Trial Evidence
His nine-week trial in the NSW District Court learned that he brought a inebriated teenager to his property in 2013 and indecently assaulted him on multiple occasions, despite resistance attempts to fight back.
In 2015, he raped a mid-twenties political staffer at his property after an event at the legislature.
Ward had argued the 2015 rape never occurred, and that the first victim was inaccurate regarding their encounter from the first incident.
But the prosecution maintained that notable parallels in the statements of the victims, who did not know each other, demonstrated they were being honest.
The panel considered for 72 hours before delivering the findings of guilt.
The political exit led to a replacement vote in the district in September, which was claimed by the opposition party.
