🔗 Share this article Ex- Down Under Politician Sentenced for Above Half a Decade for Criminal Acts Gareth Ward has become sentenced for nearly six years for sexual assaults of two men One-time public official sentenced of assaulting two individuals he met through work was given to nearly six years in prison. Case Details Gareth Ward, 44, was in prison since last summer after judicial panel found him guilty of sexually assaulting one man and attacking another individual, in separate incidents in 2013 then 2015. The defendant served the seaside community of the regional area in the state government from 2011. He stepped down as a Liberal Party minister when allegations came to light in 2021 but resisted resigning from his seat and returned to office in 2023. Judgment Information Judge the court official took into account the defendant's condition of vision impairment in the ruling and concluded "no alternative punishment other than incarceration would be suitable". The convicted individual, who participated via digital means at the judicial venue, will serve at least 45 months in custody before he can seek early release. The court official declared the judicial system needs to "issue a clear statement to like-minded offenders that criminal acts such as this will be subject to salutary penalties". Further Details Additionally stated the convicted man had "avoided punishment for a decade and lived freely without a programme or punishment for his crimes during that time". Post-trial, the individual initiated a rejected appeal attempt to stay in parliament and resigned just prior to the legislature could expel him. Representatives has stated earlier he intends to appeal the conviction. Incident Details The defendant's lengthy proceedings in the NSW District Court was told that he asked a inebriated teenager to his property in 2013 and sexually abused him three times, despite his attempts to fight back. In 2015, he attacked a 24-year-old office worker at his home after a function at parliament. Ward had argued the 2015 rape didn't happen, and that the other complainant was misremembering their encounter from 2013. But the prosecution argued that striking similarities in the testimonies of the two men, who were unacquainted with one another, proved they were accurate in their accounts. The panel debated for three days before announcing the findings of guilt. His departure prompted a replacement vote in his constituency in September, which was won by the challenger.