Ex- Australian Public Figure Jailed for Above Half a Decade for Criminal Acts
One-time public official found guilty of sexually abusing two victims he met through professional activities was given to 69 months in detention.
Case Details
Gareth Ward, forty-four, remained in jail since July after judicial panel convicted him of raping an individual and sexually abusing another, in different occasions in 2013 and 2015.
Ward represented the oceanfront municipality of Kiama in the NSW legislature from the year 2011. He stepped down as a political party official when accusations surfaced in recent years but declined to leave parliament and was re-elected in 2023.
Court Ruling
Justice Kara Shead considered Ward's disability of legal blindness in her sentence and determined "no alternative punishment besides incarceration is appropriate".
Ward, who appeared via digital means at Parramatta District Court, will serve at minimum three years and nine months in prison before he can seek conditional freedom.
The court official stated the court needs to "send a stern message to similar individuals that criminal acts like these will be faced with serious punishments".
Further Details
The judge added Ward had "avoided punishment for ten years and enjoyed a life absent a rehabilitation program or penalty for the offenses during those years".
After his conviction, Ward launched a rejected legal bid to continue in parliament and left office just prior to the members could expel him.
His legal team has indicated before he intends to contest the guilty verdict.
Incident Details
The defendant's lengthy proceedings in the NSW District Court learned that he asked a inebriated 18-year-old man to his home in 2013 and indecently assaulted him three times, despite his attempts to oppose.
Two years later, he attacked a mid-twenties political staffer at his residence after a gathering at parliament.
He had argued the later assault didn't happen, and that the additional accuser was confused about their meeting from the first incident.
However, prosecutors argued that notable parallels in the statements of the victims, who had no connection to each other, proved they were telling the truth.
A jury deliberated for multiple days before delivering the guilty verdicts.
His departure caused a replacement vote in his constituency in autumn, which was won by the Labor candidate.
