Foreign-born criminals kicked out of Queensland

Paedophiles, thugs and a hit-and-run drink driver who killed a Queensland man are among thousands of people to get the boot from the country.

Paedophiles, thugs and a hit-and-run drink driver who killed a Queensland man are among thousands of people to get the boot from the country.

Criminals including murderers, paedophiles, violent thugs and rapists are among the 10,000 visas which have been cancelled or refused on character grounds since 2014.

Italian man Andrea D’Onofrio will join the deportation list after he finishes his jail sentence for the drink-driving hit and run death of Henry Jennings this year.

Andrea D'Onofrio, 25, was silent as he left the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Friday morning accompanied by his lawyer. Picture: Matty Holdsworth

The Milan-born man admitted to being drunk and said he was probably looking at Google Maps when he hit Mr Jennings who was walking in a bus lane on Maroochy Boulevard on the Sunshine Coast on New Year’s Day.

Henry Jennings. Photo Supplied

D'onofrio was this year sentenced to a seven year jail term, with a non-parole period of two years and nine months.

There were 946 visa cancellations made under section 501 of the Migration Act in the last financial year, including 186 people deported from Queensland.

There were 81 cancellations for murderers, 198 for drug offences, 108 for assaults, 102 for child sex offences, 74 for domestic violence, 73 for rape and sexual offences, 61 for robbery and 45 for fraud.

Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said the Federal Government had zero tolerance for non-citizens who endangered Australians or engaged in criminal activity.

“Coming to Australia and staying here is a privilege. There’s no place in Australia for anyone who would abuse our laws or harm our community,” Ms Andrews said.

“Since 2014, the Coalition Government has cancelled almost 7,000 visas and refused more than 3,000 – denying every one of these individuals the opportunity to do Australians harm.”

OTHERS TO BE DEPORTED INCLUDE:

- A New Zealand man who was convicted of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child and 14 counts of indecent treatment of child under 16. He will be removed from Australia at the conclusion of his prison sentence.

- A Tongan man convicted for assault occasioning actual bodily harm. His visa was cancelled in October 2021 and he will be removed at the end of his prison sentence.

- A UK man convicted for distributing child exploitation material and possessing child exploitation material, who will be removed from Australia when his jail term ends.