Ex- Australian Public Figure Jailed for Above 60 Months for Sex Crimes
One-time Australian politician sentenced of attacking two individuals he met through professional activities was given to 69 months in prison.
Case Details
The defendant, mid-forties, has been in jail since July after the court convicted him of raping one man and indecently assaulting a second person, in different occasions in over two years.
Ward represented the seaside community of the regional area in the New South Wales government from the year 2011. He resigned as a political party minister when the claims came to light in 2021 but resisted resigning from his seat and was re-elected in 2023.
Sentencing Details
The presiding officer the judicial figure considered Ward's disability of legal blindness in the judgment and found "no different consequence besides imprisonment is appropriate".
The convicted individual, who appeared via video-link at the courthouse, will serve at minimum 45 months in custody before he can apply for parole.
The court official stated the legal system needs to "deliver a strong warning to potential criminals that sexual offendings such as this will be subject to serious punishments".
Case Background
She also said Ward had "evaded consequences for ten years and experienced freedom without a rehabilitation program or consequence for his crimes during that period".
Post-trial, Ward attempted a unsuccessful legal bid to stay in government and stepped down just prior to the legislature could oust him.
Representatives has indicated before he aims to contest the guilty verdict.
Case Facts
The defendant's lengthy proceedings in the judicial venue was told that he brought a inebriated teenager to his property in the first incident and indecently assaulted him three times, despite his attempts to oppose.
Two years later, he raped a 24-year-old office worker at his home after a gathering at the legislature.
He had argued the 2015 rape never occurred, and that the first victim was misremembering their interaction from 2013.
But the prosecution argued that striking similarities in the testimonies of the victims, who did not know each other, showed they were telling the truth.
A jury debated for 72 hours before delivering the guilty verdicts.
The political exit prompted a replacement vote in Kiama in autumn, which was won by the opposition party.
