Former Australian Public Figure Jailed for More Than 60 Months for Criminal Acts
A former Australian politician found guilty of assaulting two individuals connected through work received a sentence to nearly six years in prison.
Trial Information
The defendant, mid-forties, remained in prison since mid-year after a jury found him guilty of raping an individual and attacking a second person, in multiple events in over two years.
Ward acted for the coastal town of the regional area in the state legislature from the year 2011. He left his position as a Liberal Party cabinet member when the claims came to light in recent years but declined to leave his seat and returned to office in 2023.
Judgment Information
Justice the judicial figure evaluated Ward's disability of legal blindness in the judgment and concluded "no other penalty except for imprisonment is appropriate".
Ward, who participated via digital means at the courthouse, will serve at minimum nearly four years in prison before he can apply for parole.
The court official said the legal system needs to "deliver a strong warning to potential criminals that criminal acts such as this will be subject to salutary penalties".
Further Details
The judge added the defendant had "avoided punishment for ten years and lived freely free from a rehabilitation program or consequence for the offenses during that time".
After his conviction, the politician initiated a failed appeal attempt to continue in government and left office shortly before the members could remove him.
Defense attorneys has indicated before he plans to appeal the guilty verdict.
Incident Details
The defendant's nine-week trial in the state court heard that he invited a inebriated teenager to his home in 2013 and sexually abused him three times, despite his attempts to oppose.
Subsequently, he attacked a young office worker at his residence after a function at the legislature.
He had claimed the 2015 rape didn't happen, and that the additional accuser was inaccurate regarding their encounter from the first incident.
But the prosecution maintained that striking similarities in the statements of the individuals, who did not know one another, demonstrated they were being honest.
A jury deliberated for 72 hours before delivering the findings of guilt.
The political exit caused a replacement vote in the district in last fall, which was won by the Labor candidate.
