Former Australian Lawmaker Imprisoned for More Than 60 Months for Criminal Acts
A former public official convicted of attacking two individuals connected through professional activities was given to 69 months in jail.
Trial Information
The former official, mid-forties, remained in prison since July after a jury convicted him of attacking one man and sexually abusing another individual, in multiple events in 2013 and 2015.
The politician served the seaside community of Kiama in the state legislature from 2011. He left his position as a government official when accusations emerged in recent years but refused to quit parliament and won again in 2023.
Judgment Information
Justice the court official considered his visual impairment of vision impairment in her sentence and concluded "no alternative punishment besides detention is appropriate".
The defendant, who participated via remote connection at the judicial venue, will undergo at no less than three years and nine months in prison before he can seek parole.
Justice Shead declared the legal system needs to "deliver a strong warning to like-minded offenders that illegal behaviors such as this will be subject to serious punishments".
Further Details
She also said Ward had "escaped justice for a decade and experienced freedom free from a programme or punishment for the offenses during those years".
Post-trial, the politician launched a rejected legal bid to remain in parliament and left office just prior to the legislature could oust him.
His legal team has stated earlier he aims to appeal the conviction.
Incident Details
Ward's lengthy proceedings in the NSW District Court heard that he asked a inebriated 18-year-old man to his residence in 2013 and sexually abused him three times, despite his attempts to resist.
In 2015, he attacked a young government employee at his property after a gathering at government offices.
He had maintained the later assault never occurred, and that the other complainant was misremembering their encounter from the earlier year.
But the prosecution maintained that striking similarities in the statements of the victims, who did not know the other, proved they were accurate in their accounts.
The panel deliberated for 72 hours before returning the findings of guilt.
The political exit led to a special election in the district in September, which was secured by the Labor candidate.
