2026-06-15
12.5 years for man who repeatedly raped and abused 'innocent and vulnerable' partner's niece
Stage: Sentence
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; The judge set a headline sentence of 16 years, taking the aggravating factors into account, including the breach of trust as Ward was in loco parentis at the time of the abuse, the multiplicity of offending, the seriousness of the offending and the age disparity between them. The judge reduced the sentence to 12 and a half years taking mitigation into account including Ward's absence of related convictions, the evidence of his current partner who supports him and his community work.