đŸ”— Share this article Ex- Australian Politician Sentenced for Above Five Years for Sexual Offenses The convicted individual has become imprisoned for five years and nine months for the sexual abuse of two individuals One-time public official found guilty of assaulting two individuals encountered via his position was given to nearly six years in jail. Legal Proceedings Gareth Ward, mid-forties, has been in prison since July after judicial panel found him guilty of sexually assaulting one man and attacking another individual, in separate incidents in over two years. The politician represented the coastal town of Kiama in the state government from the year 2011. He resigned as a political party official when the claims surfaced in 2021 but refused to quit the legislature and returned to office in last year. Judgment Information The presiding officer Kara Shead considered his visual impairment of vision impairment in her sentence and determined "no alternative punishment other than imprisonment could be considered". Ward, who participated via digital means at the judicial venue, will undergo at no less than 45 months in custody before he can seek early release. The judge stated the court needs to "send a stern message to like-minded offenders that criminal acts of this nature will be met with salutary penalties". Additional Information The judge added the defendant had "evaded consequences for multiple years and experienced freedom without a programme or consequence for the offenses during those years". Following the verdict, the politician attempted a unsuccessful court challenge to stay in government and resigned moments before the members could expel him. Representatives has indicated before he aims to appeal the guilty verdict. Trial Evidence The defendant's lengthy proceedings in the judicial venue was told that he asked a inebriated 18-year-old man to his property in 2013 and sexually abused him on multiple occasions, despite resistance attempts to oppose. Two years later, he sexually assaulted a 24-year-old government employee at his residence after a gathering at the legislature. He had maintained the second incident didn't happen, and that the other complainant was confused about their meeting from the earlier year. The state's attorneys argued that notable parallels in the statements of the two men, who were unacquainted with one another, proved they were accurate in their accounts. A jury debated for multiple days before announcing the convictions. His departure caused a special election in the district in September, which was won by the challenger.