Former Down Under Lawmaker Sentenced for Above Half a Decade for Sex Crimes
An ex- public official sentenced of sexually abusing two young men he met through work received a sentence to five years and nine months in jail.
Trial Information
Gareth Ward, forty-four, has been in prison since last summer after the court found him guilty of sexually assaulting a victim and sexually abusing another, in separate incidents in over two years.
The defendant served the oceanfront municipality of the regional area in the New South Wales legislature from over a decade ago. He stepped down as a political party minister when allegations emerged in recent years but refused to quit parliament and returned to office in 2023.
Court Ruling
The presiding officer Kara Shead took into account the defendant's condition of vision impairment in the judgment and found "no alternative punishment except for incarceration would be suitable".
Ward, who participated via video-link at the judicial venue, will undergo at least nearly four years in prison before he can seek parole.
The judge said the legal system needs to "deliver a strong warning to similar individuals that criminal acts of this nature will be subject to serious punishments".
Additional Information
Additionally stated Ward had "escaped justice for a decade and experienced freedom free from a treatment or penalty for the offenses during that time".
Post-trial, the individual attempted a unsuccessful court challenge to continue in his position and resigned shortly before the members could remove him.
His legal team has stated earlier he plans to challenge the guilty verdict.
Case Facts
His lengthy proceedings in the state court learned that he asked a drunk teenager to his property in 2013 and indecently assaulted him repeatedly, despite his attempts to oppose.
Two years later, he sexually assaulted a young government employee at his property after an event at government offices.
The defendant had maintained the second incident didn't happen, and that the first victim was inaccurate regarding their encounter from 2013.
But the prosecution contended that significant resemblances in the testimonies of the two men, who had no connection to the other, proved they were being honest.
Court members considered for three days before announcing the findings of guilt.
Ward's resignation prompted a replacement vote in his constituency in September, which was claimed by the Labor candidate.
