Previous Down Under Lawmaker Sentenced for Above Half a Decade for Sex Crimes
An ex- Australian politician found guilty of attacking two young men he met through work received a sentence to five years and nine months in prison.
Trial Information
The former official, forty-four, has been in custody since last summer after the court found him guilty of sexually assaulting one man and indecently assaulting another, in different occasions in over two years.
The defendant represented the coastal town of the district in the NSW legislature from 2011. He left his position as a Liberal Party cabinet member when allegations surfaced in recent years but resisted resigning from parliament and was re-elected in last year.
Sentencing Details
Justice the court official took into account Ward's disability of vision impairment in the judgment and determined "no alternative punishment other than imprisonment is appropriate".
The convicted individual, who appeared via video-link at Parramatta District Court, will undergo at minimum 45 months in prison before he can seek conditional freedom.
Justice Shead stated the legal system needs to "send a stern message to potential criminals that sexual offendings like these will be faced with significant consequences".
Additional Information
She also said the defendant had "evaded consequences for ten years and lived freely without a rehabilitation program or punishment for his crimes during that period".
Following the verdict, the politician attempted a unsuccessful court challenge to continue in parliament and resigned just prior to the members could expel him.
Defense attorneys has previously said he aims to challenge the guilty verdict.
Trial Evidence
The defendant's lengthy proceedings in the NSW District Court was told that he invited a drunk teenager to his property in 2013 and indecently assaulted him repeatedly, despite his attempts to oppose.
Subsequently, he raped a mid-twenties office worker at his home after a function at government offices.
He had argued the 2015 rape didn't happen, and that the additional accuser was misremembering their interaction from the first incident.
However, prosecutors contended that significant resemblances in the accounts of the individuals, who were unacquainted with the other, proved they were accurate in their accounts.
The panel considered for multiple days before delivering the findings of guilt.
His departure led to a replacement vote in his constituency in last fall, which was secured by the opposition party.
