Illegal citizen Andre Salviano Turato in court for dangerous drugs in Whitsundays
‘We’ve got a tennis player they’re holding down in Melbourne somewhere because he wants to come and play tennis – this man’s here illegally’
Regional News
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A Brazilian man on an expired visa was enjoying the sights of North Queensland when police caught him with drugs in a McDonald’s car park.
Andre Salviano Turato, 29, faced Proserpine Magistrates Court this week after police found multiple LSD tabs in his car outside Cannonvale McDonald’s just after 11pm on November 25, 2021.
The court heard a background check revealed his illegal status as well as intelligence in relation to supplying dangerous drugs.
Magistrate James Morton said it was highly unusual to have an “illegal citizen” in his court with “no police outside waiting to arrest him”.
“I’ve had [other people] in my court, walk outside and they’re under arrest, taken to a detention centre at our cost, hold you, and then you pay for your flight back to your own country – this is very odd,” he said.
“We’ve got a tennis player they’re holding down in Melbourne somewhere because he wants to come and play tennis – this man’s here illegally.”
The Novak Djokovic saga over entering Australia unvaccinated has had more volleys than a grand slam - with government and courts grappling with competing priorities.
Should he get over one of the biggest hurdles in his tennis career – in the form of a potential deportation from Immigration Minister – Djokovic’s draw appears to hold far fewer speed bumps in his quest for a 21st grand slam title.
But in Proserpine, pleading guilty to possessing dangerous drugs, Turato told the court a woman he met on the Sunshine Coast had given him the drugs, the effects of which he described as “maybe you laugh, maybe you see colourful things sometimes and don't feel anything”.
He told the court he had come to Australia to improve his English and had worked in construction and farming in Sydney up until April 2021.
He said his visa had expired in December 2020 and he had recently been living in his car, travelling around Australia, and waiting for the outcome of a bridging visa application.
He was due to fly back to Brazil in March 2022 and wanted to see Australia, particularly Uluru and the deserts of the Northern Territory, before he left.
“My dream is to go and visit these places before I go back home,” he said.
The business and administration student said he “would like not to have to pay a fine” or have a conviction recorded for the drugs charge as it would impact his chances of finding work in Brazil, where he previously worked in “one of the biggest private banks”.
Mr Morton said several unsigned letters using “very, very similar wording” to attest to Turato’s good character gave him “the very distinct feeling [he was] being hoodwinked”.
“I was suspicious about the police pulling you up and searching your car but now I understand why they thought you were up to no good.”
He sentenced Turato to pay a $300 fine within seven days, with no conviction recorded.
Turato said he should easily be able to find farm work to replenish his bank account.
“There’s plenty of farm work to do – people that need help, I can help, and they give me money I will pay my fine.”
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Originally published as Illegal citizen Andre Salviano Turato in court for dangerous drugs in Whitsundays
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