Former Down Under Public Figure Sentenced for Above Half a Decade for Criminal Acts
A former lawmaker sentenced of sexually abusing two individuals he met through professional activities was given to five years and nine months in jail.
Case Details
The defendant, 44, has been in custody since last summer after judicial panel found him guilty of sexually assaulting one man and attacking a second person, in multiple events in over two years.
Ward served the oceanfront municipality of the regional area in the NSW parliament from over a decade ago. He resigned as a Liberal Party official when accusations surfaced in 2021 but refused to quit the legislature and was re-elected in 2023.
Sentencing Details
Judge the court official evaluated Ward's disability of sight disability in her sentence and determined "no different consequence besides detention would be suitable".
Ward, who was present via remote connection at Parramatta District Court, will serve at least 45 months in detention before he can seek early release.
The court official declared the court needs to "deliver a strong warning to like-minded offenders that illegal behaviors like these will be met with salutary penalties".
Case Background
Additionally stated the defendant had "escaped justice for a decade and experienced freedom absent a rehabilitation program or consequence for his actions during those years".
Post-trial, the individual launched a rejected court challenge to continue in government and resigned shortly before the members could oust him.
Defense attorneys has stated earlier he aims to contest the ruling.
Case Facts
Ward's extended court case in the NSW District Court was told that he invited a drunk 18-year-old man to his residence in 2013 and sexually abused him on multiple occasions, despite the victim's efforts to fight back.
In 2015, he sexually assaulted a 24-year-old government employee at his residence after an event at the legislature.
The defendant had claimed the 2015 rape didn't happen, and that the first victim was misremembering their encounter from the first incident.
The state's attorneys argued that striking similarities in the testimonies of the victims, who had no connection to each other, demonstrated they were being honest.
The panel considered for three days before delivering the guilty verdicts.
The political exit caused a by-election in the district in September, which was secured by the challenger.
