Former Australian Public Figure Sentenced for Above 60 Months for Sexual Offenses
A former Australian politician found guilty of attacking two individuals connected through work has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison.
Case Details
The former official, 44, remained in jail since last summer after judicial panel found him guilty of attacking one man and attacking another, in separate incidents in over two years.
The politician served the oceanfront municipality of Kiama in the New South Wales government from over a decade ago. He resigned as a political party official when accusations surfaced in 2021 but refused to quit parliament and was re-elected in last year.
Sentencing Details
The presiding officer Kara Shead evaluated his visual impairment of vision impairment in the ruling and found "no alternative punishment except for incarceration could be considered".
The defendant, who appeared via remote connection at the judicial venue, will undergo at no less than nearly four years in custody before he can apply for conditional freedom.
The court official declared the legal system needs to "deliver a strong warning to similar individuals that sexual offendings like these will be met with serious punishments".
Additional Information
She also said Ward had "evaded consequences for ten years and enjoyed a life absent a rehabilitation program or punishment for his actions during those years".
After his conviction, the individual attempted a failed court challenge to continue in parliament and resigned moments before the members could oust him.
Representatives has stated earlier he aims to challenge the ruling.
Incident Details
The defendant's lengthy proceedings in the state court heard that he invited a intoxicated 18-year-old man to his home in 2013 and indecently assaulted him on multiple occasions, despite resistance attempts to resist.
Two years later, he attacked a mid-twenties office worker at his residence after a gathering at government offices.
He had argued the 2015 rape didn't happen, and that the first victim was confused about their interaction from the first incident.
However, prosecutors argued that striking similarities in the statements of the individuals, who had no connection to each other, demonstrated they were accurate in their accounts.
The panel considered for three days before announcing the guilty verdicts.
His departure prompted a special election in the district in autumn, which was won by the challenger.
