WELLINGTON, New Zealand — An Australian state lawmaker and convicted rapist, who is in jail awaiting his sentence, quit his seat Friday moments before a vote scheduled by his former colleagues to eject him.

Gareth Ward, an independent member of parliament in New South Wales state, earlier refused to resign despite his July convictions by a jury for sex crimes against two young men. He failed in a legal bid Thursday to stop his peers taking rare action to expel him.

Ward, 44, sexually assaulted a political staffer after a parliamentary event in 2015 and abused an 18-year-old at the politician’s home in 2013. His sentencing on one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of indecent assault is scheduled for September.

Jailed lawmaker tries to stop ouster vote

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