Timeline in the Bernard Finnigan case

THE PROGRESS OF THE FINNIGAN CASE:

MAY 2006: Appointed to parliament's upper house, filling a casual Labor vacancy.

FEB 2011: Elevated to cabinet as industrial relations minister in the Labor govt.

APRIL 2011: Finnigan is arrested at his home and charged with four child pornography offences. He resigns from the ministry and is expelled from the Labor Party.

APRIL 2015: After a series of legal moves over four years, including a bid to have the charges stayed, Finnigan goes on trial in the District Court on one count of accessing child pornography and one count of attempting to access child pornography.

NOV 2015: Judge Steven Millsteed finds Finnigan guilty of accessing child pornography. Two days later Finnigan resigns from parliament.

DEC 2015: Finnigan has a conviction recorded and is sentenced to 15 months in jail with a non-parole period of eight months. But the jail term is suspended with the judge placing him on a three-year good behaviour bond.