Ex- Down Under Politician Sentenced for Over Half a Decade for Criminal Acts
An ex- public official sentenced of sexually abusing two young men connected through work has been sentenced to 69 months in detention.
Case Details
Gareth Ward, 44, was in jail since last summer after the court convicted him of raping one man and attacking another individual, in different occasions in over two years.
The politician served the seaside community of Kiama in the New South Wales parliament from the year 2011. He left his position as a political party cabinet member when the claims surfaced in 2021 but refused to quit parliament and won again in 2023.
Sentencing Details
The presiding officer the court official took into account Ward's disability of legal blindness in her sentence and found "no alternative punishment besides incarceration could be considered".
The defendant, who was present via video-link at Parramatta District Court, will complete at minimum nearly four years in custody before he can apply for conditional freedom.
The court official declared the judicial system needs to "issue a clear statement to similar individuals that illegal behaviors like these will be faced with serious punishments".
Case Background
The judge added the defendant had "avoided punishment for ten years and enjoyed a life free from a programme or consequence for his crimes during those years".
Post-trial, the politician initiated a failed court challenge to stay in government and left office moments before the legislature could remove him.
Representatives has previously said he intends to contest the guilty verdict.
Trial Evidence
The defendant's extended court case in the judicial venue learned that he asked a intoxicated young adult to his home in 2013 and indecently assaulted him three times, despite resistance attempts to oppose.
In 2015, he attacked a young government employee at his home after a gathering at parliament.
The defendant had claimed the later assault was fabricated, and that the other complainant was inaccurate regarding their interaction from the earlier year.
But the prosecution maintained that notable parallels in the statements of the individuals, who were unacquainted with the other, showed they were telling the truth.
A jury deliberated for 72 hours before returning the convictions.
The political exit caused a special election in his constituency in autumn, which was claimed by the challenger.
