Former Australian Public Figure Jailed for Above Five Years for Sex Crimes
A former Australian politician convicted of attacking two young men connected through his position has been sentenced to nearly six years in jail.
Legal Proceedings
Gareth Ward, mid-forties, was in prison since July after judicial panel determined his guilt of attacking an individual and indecently assaulting another individual, in different occasions in 2013 and 2015.
The defendant represented the coastal town of the district in the New South Wales parliament from the year 2011. He stepped down as a Liberal Party minister when accusations emerged in recent years but refused to quit the legislature and won again in last year.
Court Ruling
The presiding officer Kara Shead evaluated the defendant's condition of vision impairment in her sentence and found "no alternative punishment besides imprisonment could be considered".
The convicted individual, who participated via remote connection at the judicial venue, will undergo at no less than nearly four years in custody before he can apply for parole.
The judge stated the legal system needs to "send a stern message to similar individuals that illegal behaviors like these will be subject to serious punishments".
Additional Information
The judge added the convicted man had "avoided punishment for ten years and lived freely absent a programme or punishment for the offenses during that time".
Following the verdict, the individual launched a unsuccessful legal bid to continue in parliament and resigned moments before the congress could oust him.
Defense attorneys has previously said he aims to contest the conviction.
Case Facts
Ward's lengthy proceedings in the judicial venue learned that he invited a intoxicated 18-year-old man to his home in the first incident and attacked him on multiple occasions, despite resistance attempts to resist.
Subsequently, he sexually assaulted a mid-twenties political staffer at his property after a function at government offices.
The defendant had claimed the second incident never occurred, and that the other complainant was inaccurate regarding their encounter from the first incident.
The state's attorneys contended that notable parallels in the testimonies of the individuals, who were unacquainted with the other, demonstrated they were telling the truth.
A jury debated for multiple days before delivering the guilty verdicts.
His departure prompted a replacement vote in Kiama in last fall, which was secured by the opposition party.
