Previous Down Under Politician Imprisoned for Above Five Years for Sex Crimes
An ex- lawmaker sentenced of sexually abusing two young men connected through work received a sentence to nearly six years in prison.
Case Details
Gareth Ward, 44, remained in prison since mid-year after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a victim and attacking another, in separate incidents in 2013 and 2015.
The defendant served the oceanfront municipality of Kiama in the New South Wales legislature from 2011. He left his position as a political party official when the claims emerged in 2021 but refused to quit his seat and won again in 2023.
Sentencing Details
The presiding officer Kara Shead considered his visual impairment of legal blindness in the judgment and found "no other penalty besides incarceration would be suitable".
The convicted individual, who was present via digital means at Parramatta District Court, will complete at least three years and nine months in custody before he can apply for parole.
The court official stated the court needs to "send a stern message to like-minded offenders that illegal behaviors of this nature will be subject to serious punishments".
Case Background
She also said the convicted man had "escaped justice for ten years and lived freely free from a treatment or punishment for his actions during that time".
Post-trial, Ward launched a failed court challenge to remain in parliament and resigned just prior to the congress could oust him.
Representatives has stated earlier he plans to appeal the conviction.
Case Facts
The defendant's nine-week trial in the state court learned that he asked a intoxicated teenager to his residence in 2013 and attacked him three times, despite resistance attempts to fight back.
Subsequently, he sexually assaulted a mid-twenties government employee at his property after a gathering at the legislature.
Ward had maintained the later assault never occurred, and that the other complainant was inaccurate regarding their interaction from the earlier year.
But the prosecution maintained that notable parallels in the accounts of the victims, who had no connection to each other, showed they were being honest.
A jury deliberated for 72 hours before delivering the findings of guilt.
Ward's resignation led to a replacement vote in Kiama in autumn, which was secured by the Labor candidate.
