🔗 Share this article Ex- Australian Public Figure Jailed for Over Half a Decade for Criminal Acts The former politician was imprisoned for five years and nine months for sexual assaults of two individuals An ex- Australian politician convicted of attacking two victims encountered via his position received a sentence to nearly six years in jail. Legal Proceedings The former official, forty-four, was in jail since mid-year after judicial panel convicted him of sexually assaulting one man and attacking another, in multiple events in 2013 and 2015. The politician served the seaside community of the district in the NSW parliament from the year 2011. He left his position as a government cabinet member when allegations came to light in 2021 but resisted resigning from parliament and returned to office in 2023. Court Ruling The presiding officer the court official considered Ward's disability of legal blindness in the ruling and concluded "no alternative punishment other than imprisonment is appropriate". The convicted individual, who participated via remote connection at Parramatta District Court, will undergo at no less than three years and nine months in custody before he can seek conditional freedom. Justice Shead said the judicial system needs to "issue a clear statement to similar individuals that criminal acts like these will be subject to serious punishments". Additional Information She also said the defendant had "avoided punishment for ten years and lived freely absent a rehabilitation program or penalty for his actions during that period". Post-trial, Ward initiated a failed appeal attempt to continue in parliament and stepped down shortly before the legislature could expel him. Representatives has stated earlier he plans to challenge the conviction. Case Facts His nine-week trial in the judicial venue was told that he invited a drunk teenager to his home in 2013 and sexually abused him three times, despite the victim's efforts to oppose. In 2015, he attacked a 24-year-old political staffer at his residence after a function at the legislature. Ward had claimed the 2015 rape never occurred, and that the other complainant was misremembering their interaction from 2013. The state's attorneys contended that striking similarities in the accounts of the victims, who had no connection to the other, showed they were being honest. The panel debated for three days before returning the findings of guilt. Ward's resignation led to a by-election in the district in last fall, which was won by the challenger.