Previous Down Under Public Figure Imprisoned for More Than 60 Months for Criminal Acts
An ex- public official found guilty of sexually abusing two individuals connected through professional activities was given to five years and nine months in prison.
Legal Proceedings
Gareth Ward, forty-four, has been in jail since last summer after the court convicted him of raping one man and attacking another, in multiple events in 2013 and 2015.
The defendant represented the oceanfront municipality of Kiama in the NSW legislature from over a decade ago. He stepped down as a Liberal Party cabinet member when the claims surfaced in 2021 but refused to quit his seat and won again in 2023.
Sentencing Details
Judge the judicial figure considered Ward's disability of vision impairment in the judgment and concluded "no alternative punishment besides imprisonment is appropriate".
The convicted individual, who appeared via remote connection at the judicial venue, will complete at no less than nearly four years in prison before he can apply for conditional freedom.
Justice Shead stated the legal system needs to "issue a clear statement to potential criminals that sexual offendings like these will be subject to salutary penalties".
Case Background
Additionally stated the defendant had "escaped justice for ten years and lived freely without a rehabilitation program or punishment for his crimes during that period".
After his conviction, the individual launched a rejected court challenge to remain in parliament and left office moments before the members could expel him.
Representatives has previously said he plans to challenge the conviction.
Case Facts
Ward's nine-week trial in the state court learned that he asked a drunk 18-year-old man to his property in 2013 and indecently assaulted him three times, despite his attempts to resist.
Two years later, he sexually assaulted a young office worker at his property after an event at the legislature.
He had claimed the second incident never occurred, and that the other complainant was inaccurate regarding their interaction from the first incident.
But the prosecution maintained that notable parallels in the accounts of the individuals, who were unacquainted with each other, showed they were accurate in their accounts.
The panel deliberated for 72 hours before delivering the findings of guilt.
The political exit led to a special election in Kiama in autumn, which was claimed by the opposition party.
