Ex- Australian Public Figure Sentenced for More Than Half a Decade for Criminal Acts
One-time public official sentenced of sexually abusing two victims encountered via his position has been sentenced to 69 months in detention.
Case Details
The former official, mid-forties, has been in custody since July after a jury found him guilty of raping a victim and attacking a second person, in multiple events in over two years.
The politician represented the oceanfront municipality of the regional area in the New South Wales legislature from the year 2011. He stepped down as a government minister when the claims came to light in 2021 but resisted resigning from parliament and returned to office in 2023.
Sentencing Details
Justice Kara Shead took into account Ward's disability of legal blindness in the ruling and determined "no other penalty other than detention could be considered".
The convicted individual, who participated via video-link at the courthouse, will undergo at least 45 months in detention before he can request parole.
The judge said the legal system needs to "send a stern message to like-minded offenders that illegal behaviors like these will be faced with salutary penalties".
Additional Information
The judge added Ward had "avoided punishment for a decade and experienced freedom free from a treatment or punishment for his crimes during that period".
After his conviction, the politician launched a rejected court challenge to remain in parliament and resigned shortly before the legislature could oust him.
His legal team has indicated before he aims to appeal the guilty verdict.
Trial Evidence
The defendant's nine-week trial in the NSW District Court was told that he brought a drunk young adult to his residence in 2013 and sexually abused him three times, despite the victim's efforts to oppose.
Two years later, he attacked a 24-year-old political staffer at his home after a gathering at the legislature.
Ward had claimed the 2015 rape never occurred, and that the other complainant was misremembering their meeting from 2013.
The state's attorneys argued that striking similarities in the testimonies of the individuals, who did not know each other, showed they were being honest.
Court members debated for 72 hours before returning the guilty verdicts.
Ward's resignation caused a by-election in his constituency in autumn, which was claimed by the Labor candidate.
