Previous Down Under Politician Imprisoned for Over 60 Months for Sex Crimes
A former public official found guilty of assaulting two victims he met through work has been sentenced to five years and nine months in jail.
Trial Information
Gareth Ward, 44, was in jail since July after a jury determined his guilt of raping an individual and sexually abusing a second person, in different occasions in 2013 then 2015.
Ward acted for the coastal town of the regional area in the New South Wales parliament from 2011. He left his position as a government cabinet member when accusations emerged in recent years but refused to quit his seat and won again in 2023.
Judgment Information
The presiding officer the judicial figure evaluated his visual impairment of legal blindness in her sentence and determined "no alternative punishment except for imprisonment is appropriate".
Ward, who appeared via video-link at Parramatta District Court, will undergo at least 45 months in detention before he can apply for parole.
Justice Shead declared the court needs to "send a stern message to potential criminals that sexual offendings like these will be faced with salutary penalties".
Additional Information
Additionally stated the convicted man had "evaded consequences for a decade and enjoyed a life free from a rehabilitation program or consequence for the offenses during those years".
Post-trial, the individual launched a failed legal bid to continue in his position and resigned moments before the members could expel him.
Representatives has previously said he intends to challenge the guilty verdict.
Trial Evidence
The defendant's extended court case in the state court was told that he brought a drunk 18-year-old man to his home in 2013 and sexually abused him three times, despite the victim's efforts to fight back.
Two years later, he attacked a young government employee at his home after an event at parliament.
Ward had maintained the second incident never occurred, and that the additional accuser was inaccurate regarding their interaction from the earlier year.
The state's attorneys contended that significant resemblances in the accounts of the victims, who had no connection to each other, showed they were telling the truth.
A jury debated for multiple days before returning the guilty verdicts.
His departure led to a special election in his constituency in September, which was secured by the Labor candidate.
