Previous Australian Lawmaker Imprisoned for Above Half a Decade for Criminal Acts
One-time lawmaker convicted of sexually abusing two young men he met through professional activities has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison.
Legal Proceedings
The defendant, mid-forties, has been in prison since last summer after the court convicted him of raping one man and indecently assaulting a second person, in different occasions in 2013 and 2015.
The politician served the oceanfront municipality of Kiama in the NSW parliament from 2011. He stepped down as a political party official when allegations emerged in 2021 but refused to quit the legislature and won again in last year.
Sentencing Details
Justice the judicial figure took into account Ward's disability of vision impairment in her sentence and concluded "no alternative punishment except for detention would be suitable".
Ward, who participated via digital means at Parramatta District Court, will undergo at minimum three years and nine months in prison before he can request parole.
The judge declared the court needs to "deliver a strong warning to like-minded offenders that sexual offendings of this nature will be subject to significant consequences".
Further Details
Additionally stated the defendant had "escaped justice for ten years and experienced freedom without a rehabilitation program or consequence for his crimes during that period".
After his conviction, Ward attempted a rejected court challenge to continue in his position and left office moments before the congress could oust him.
His legal team has stated earlier he plans to contest the ruling.
Trial Evidence
Ward's lengthy proceedings in the judicial venue learned that he brought a intoxicated 18-year-old man to his home in 2013 and indecently assaulted him repeatedly, despite his attempts to fight back.
Two years later, he raped a 24-year-old government employee at his home after an event at government offices.
The defendant had argued the 2015 rape never occurred, and that the additional accuser was inaccurate regarding their interaction from the earlier year.
But the prosecution argued that notable parallels in the accounts of the individuals, who did not know each other, proved they were telling the truth.
A jury debated for three days before announcing the guilty verdicts.
The political exit caused a special election in Kiama in autumn, which was secured by the challenger.
