🔗 Share this article Ex- Australian Lawmaker Imprisoned for Above 60 Months for Sex Crimes The convicted individual has become imprisoned for 69 months for sexual assaults of two men An ex- public official convicted of assaulting two young men encountered via work received a sentence to five years and nine months in jail. Legal Proceedings The former official, 44, has been in jail since mid-year after a jury convicted him of raping a victim and indecently assaulting a second person, in separate incidents in 2013 then 2015. The defendant represented the coastal town of Kiama in the NSW government from over a decade ago. He stepped down as a political party minister when allegations surfaced in 2021 but declined to leave the legislature and returned to office in 2023. Sentencing Details Judge the judicial figure evaluated his visual impairment of vision impairment in the judgment and concluded "no different consequence other than imprisonment is appropriate". The convicted individual, who appeared via remote connection at the judicial venue, will undergo at minimum three years and nine months in custody before he can request conditional freedom. Justice Shead declared the court needs to "issue a clear statement to like-minded offenders that criminal acts of this nature will be subject to serious punishments". Additional Information She also said the defendant had "avoided punishment for multiple years and experienced freedom absent a treatment or penalty for his crimes during that period". Post-trial, the individual launched a rejected appeal attempt to stay in parliament and resigned just prior to the legislature could remove him. Defense attorneys has indicated before he aims to appeal the guilty verdict. Case Facts Ward's extended court case in the NSW District Court was told that he brought a drunk teenager to his home in 2013 and sexually abused him on multiple occasions, despite his attempts to fight back. Subsequently, he raped a young political staffer at his property after a function at parliament. He had claimed the later assault never occurred, and that the first victim was confused about their meeting from the first incident. However, prosecutors argued that notable parallels in the statements of the victims, who did not know each other, proved they were being honest. The panel considered for 72 hours before delivering the convictions. Ward's resignation prompted a replacement vote in his constituency in September, which was secured by the Labor candidate.