Rapists, drug smugglers, man who punched his infant daughter among released detainees

Four murderers, a person of interest to Australia’s spy agency, multiple child sex offenders and drug traffickers are among the most “serious” criminals impacted by a High Court ruling against their indefinite detention. See the list of the worst crimes

Four murderers, a person of interest to Australia’s spy agency, multiple child sex offenders and drug traffickers are among the most “serious” criminals impacted by a High Court ruling against their indefinite detention.

Child rapists, stalkers, people smugglers and a man who punched his eight-month-old daughter are among the people potentially released into the community last week, according to new documents published by the court on Tuesday.

The document dated October 18 does not detail every case and not all of the individuals are among the initial cohort of 93 people released, but contains a summary of “those with more serious offences” compiled by the Department of Home of Affairs intended to demonstrate to the court some of the “characteristics” of the detainees impacted by the ruling.

Among the detainees was a man convicted of rape who is also on a United States sex offenders registry, a person of interest to Australia’s spy agency ASIO and a man sentenced to 22 years in prison in 1999 for murdering his wife, though he only served 18 years before being placed in immigration detention.

It is understood none of the affected individuals have found to be a national security risk.

The released detainees included Malaysian hitman Sirul Azhar Umar who killed a pregnant woman in 2006, a man convicted of murder in Saudi Arabia and another man also convicted of murder and separately of raping a child aged between 14 and 16.

Anthony Albanese is under pressure after the refugees were realised into the community. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images via AFP)

Another man who sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl in 2012, and a man who in 2016 was convicted for “procure a child for unlawful sexual activity” and “stalk, intimidate and common assault” are also among the cohort.

There were four cases involving drug trafficking, including a man sentenced to seven years and four months imprisonment in 2017, and a man sentenced to three years and four months in 2020 for trafficking meth.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton said the appalling details of the crimes only further highlighted why the federal government should not have released the asylum seekers.

“We’re talking about some very serious criminals here: pedophiles and rapists, murderers and some very significant cases that have been brought against these people,” he said.

“You’ve seen some of the victims of rape and sexual assault, who are saying, ‘I just can’t believe that this government has let these people out’.”

Mr Dutton said the government should have been designing a preventive detention regime before the court ruling was even handed down.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Sirul Azhar Umar is wanted in Malaysia for allegedly murdering a pregnant woman.

“It seems now that they’re finally looking at that, but it should have been done and ready to go months ago,” he said.

Since being released from detention the asylum seekers are being supported through the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS), which can fund a wide range of assistance measures on a case-by-case basis.

Available supports based on the latest information can include:

– Income support of typically 89 per cent of Jobseeker, which is about $660 a fortnight;

– Medicare access;

– Accommodation, with several detainees initially provided with rooms at the Arena Hotel in Western Sydney, which costs about $119 a night, and in Western Australia at the Thornlie Motel costing about $149 a night;

– Previous SRSS recipients have also been eligible for up to $3,600 in material aid for financial hardship, a crisis cash payment of up to $1000, loans in advance for single adults of up to $800 and a basic household goods package capped at $9,850.

The detainees are being electronically tracked and have strict reporting requirements following emergency legislation passed last week, which included a five-year prison sentence if the control measures were breached.