Previous Australian Politician Sentenced for Over Half a Decade for Sex Crimes
An ex- Australian politician convicted of assaulting two individuals connected through professional activities received a sentence to 69 months in prison.
Case Details
The former official, 44, remained in prison since last summer after judicial panel convicted him of sexually assaulting a victim and indecently assaulting another, in separate incidents in 2013 then 2015.
The politician acted for the oceanfront municipality of Kiama in the NSW legislature from over a decade ago. He left his position as a government official when allegations came to light in 2021 but declined to leave his seat and returned to office in 2023.
Sentencing Details
Judge the court official considered Ward's disability of legal blindness in the judgment and found "no alternative punishment except for detention would be suitable".
The convicted individual, who appeared via video-link at the courthouse, will undergo at no less than three years and nine months in prison before he can request early release.
Justice Shead declared the legal system needs to "deliver a strong warning to like-minded offenders that criminal acts of this nature will be subject to significant consequences".
Additional Information
The judge added the defendant had "evaded consequences for a decade and enjoyed a life free from a programme or consequence for his crimes during that period".
After his conviction, Ward launched a rejected legal bid to stay in parliament and resigned just prior to the members could oust him.
Defense attorneys has indicated before he intends to challenge the conviction.
Case Facts
The defendant's extended court case in the NSW District Court learned that he invited a inebriated young adult to his home in 2013 and indecently assaulted him repeatedly, despite resistance attempts to fight back.
In 2015, he attacked a mid-twenties political staffer at his home after a function at the legislature.
He had argued the 2015 rape never occurred, and that the additional accuser was confused about their encounter from the earlier year.
However, prosecutors contended that significant resemblances in the testimonies of the two men, who had no connection to the other, demonstrated they were accurate in their accounts.
The panel considered for 72 hours before delivering the convictions.
The political exit prompted a by-election in his constituency in last fall, which was won by the opposition party.
