‘Risk of danger’: man refused Aussie citizenship after violence towards exes

A tribunal has given its ruling for a man‘s Aussie citizenship bid, after it heard his violence towards two of his wives landed them in hospital.

A man who a Tribunal heard dislocated his first wife’s finger and repeatedly struck his second wife with a hose while she was pregnant has had his bid for Australian citizenship rejected.

The tribunal on Friday upheld the Home Affairs Minister’s decision in 2019 to refuse Queensland man Khodr Nazem Saadie citizenship, on the basis he was not a person of good character.

Mr Saadie applied to become a citizen in 2016, but a national police check revealed his history of domestic violence offences against his first and second wife, which he failed to disclose in his application.

The Lebanese national arrived in Australia in 2001, on a prospective marriage visa, and was later granted permanent residence by a partner visa.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal was told he bit his first wife and in another incident, grabbed his wife’s wrists, twisted her hands and dislocated her middle finger.

Mr Saadie told a police officer he had remarked to her: “What have you been doing all day, I come home from work, I want something to eat.”

She was taken to hospital and had to get her rings cut off so her finger could be relocated.

According to the judgment, Mr Saadie was not charged with assault and was dealt with by a bond for breaching an AVO for that incident, with no conviction recorded.

A man who was violent towards his first and second wife has had his citizenship bid rejected.

He also hit his second wife with a hose two days in a row while she was six months’ pregnant, after questioning her about $25 in the house, which she said she’d spent on food and groceries. He was later convicted for assault occasioning actual bodily harm

In 2011, Mr Saadie was also convicted for resisting police and contravening an apprehended violence order after threatening to kill his second wife and removing a mobile and home phone from her hands as she tried to call police.

AAT deputy president Dr Peter McDermott said the serious domestic violence offences against his two wives, which resulted in both being taken to hospital, could not be excused on the basis of “spontaneous reactions”.

“The number of violent offences perpetrated by the applicant detract greatly from any positive assessment of his character, having regard to the risk of danger to the public from this conduct,” he said in his decision on Friday.

“Some actions of the applicant in committing domestic violence offences were quite deliberate because the applicant assaulted his second wife who was six months pregnant with a hose on two successive days, leaving extensive bruising and marks on her.”

The man also failed to reveal his domestic violence offending in his citizenship application.

Dr McDermott said he was not satisfied Mr Saadie accepted responsibility for his actions.

His extensive speeding history and failure to disclose in his citizenship application that he had been convicted of offences also showed he was not of good character.

“I consider that the applicant is not of good character because whilst he has been in Australia, he has not conducted himself in a manner that accords with the values of our society,” Dr McDermott said.

“This tribunal has clearly and consistently emphasised that domestic violence is contrary to the values of Australian society.”

It was also concerning had had failed to take steps to accept responsibility for his actions by engaging in rehabilitation, Dr McDermott added.

“I find that he does not possess any insight into his offending behaviour, as when asked why his citizenship application was refused, he stated simply that ‘something happened’,” he said.

Originally published as ‘Risk of danger’: man refused Aussie citizenship after violence towards exes