Previous Down Under Politician Imprisoned for More Than Half a Decade for Sex Crimes
A former lawmaker convicted of sexually abusing two victims encountered via his position has been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.
Case Details
The former official, 44, remained in custody since mid-year after judicial panel determined his guilt of sexually assaulting a victim and indecently assaulting a second person, in different occasions in over two years.
The politician represented the coastal town of the district in the NSW parliament from over a decade ago. He resigned as a government official when allegations surfaced in recent years but refused to quit his seat and returned to office in last year.
Judgment Information
Justice Kara Shead evaluated the defendant's condition of legal blindness in her sentence and determined "no alternative punishment except for incarceration could be considered".
The defendant, who appeared via video-link at the judicial venue, will serve at minimum 45 months in detention before he can request early release.
The judge declared the court needs to "send a stern message to like-minded offenders that sexual offendings like these will be faced with salutary penalties".
Further Details
She also said Ward had "evaded consequences for ten years and experienced freedom without a rehabilitation program or consequence for his crimes during that time".
Post-trial, the politician launched a rejected court challenge to remain in government and resigned just prior to the congress could oust him.
Representatives has indicated before he intends to contest the ruling.
Case Facts
Ward's nine-week trial in the NSW District Court was told that he brought a inebriated teenager to his residence in the first incident and sexually abused him three times, despite his attempts to oppose.
Subsequently, he attacked a 24-year-old political staffer at his residence after an event at the legislature.
He had maintained the later assault was fabricated, and that the additional accuser was inaccurate regarding their meeting from 2013.
But the prosecution argued that notable parallels in the testimonies of the individuals, who were unacquainted with one another, proved they were accurate in their accounts.
The panel debated for three days before delivering the guilty verdicts.
His departure led to a replacement vote in the district in September, which was claimed by the challenger.