Previous Australian Public Figure Jailed for Above Five Years for Sexual Offenses
A former Australian politician found guilty of assaulting two individuals encountered via work has been sentenced to 69 months in prison.
Case Details
Gareth Ward, forty-four, has been in prison since July after the court found him guilty of sexually assaulting one man and sexually abusing a second person, in different occasions in 2013 and 2015.
The politician acted for the oceanfront municipality of Kiama in the state legislature from 2011. He stepped down as a Liberal Party cabinet member when allegations surfaced in 2021 but resisted resigning from parliament and won again in 2023.
Court Ruling
Justice the court official evaluated the defendant's condition of sight disability in the judgment and found "no other penalty besides detention could be considered".
Ward, who was present via video-link at the courthouse, will undergo at no less than three years and nine months in prison before he can apply for conditional freedom.
The court official stated the court needs to "deliver a strong warning to potential criminals that illegal behaviors of this nature will be faced with significant consequences".
Case Background
Additionally stated Ward had "escaped justice for multiple years and lived freely without a rehabilitation program or punishment for the offenses during that period".
Following the verdict, Ward initiated a rejected appeal attempt to stay in government and left office moments before the members could expel him.
His legal team has stated earlier he aims to contest the guilty verdict.
Case Facts
The defendant's nine-week trial in the NSW District Court learned that he invited a drunk young adult to his property in 2013 and attacked him three times, despite resistance attempts to resist.
In 2015, he attacked a mid-twenties government employee at his property after a gathering at parliament.
He had argued the 2015 rape was fabricated, and that the first victim was inaccurate regarding their meeting from 2013.
The state's attorneys maintained that striking similarities in the accounts of the victims, who were unacquainted with the other, proved they were accurate in their accounts.
Court members deliberated for multiple days before returning the findings of guilt.
The political exit caused a special election in the district in last fall, which was won by the Labor candidate.