Mohamed Ahmed Omer allegedly left wife stranded in Sudan without visa, kids

A Melbourne man allegedly tricked his wife into travelling to Sudan before returning to Australia with their two children and cancelling her visa, leaving her stranded.

Mohamed Ahmed Omer is charged with exit trafficking by deception. Picture: Nicki Connolly

A father tricked his wife into travelling to Sudan on a family holiday before secretly cancelling her visa and deserting her, a court has heard.

Mohamed Ahmed Omer, 52, faced the first day of his County Court trial on Thursday charged with exit trafficking by deception after he allegedly left his wife and returned to Melbourne with their two young children.

The jury was told Mr Omer partnered his Sudanese-born wife — who was 17 years his junior — in an arranged marriage before sponsoring her move to Australia in 2012.

Crown prosecutor John Saunders told the court the couple’s relationship deteriorated when Mr Omer became increasingly controlling and violent after the birth of their first child.

“The accused exhibited aggressive and violent behaviour towards (his wife) using foul language, hitting her and threatening that she would die if she did not return to Sudan,” he said.

He allegedly controlled his wife’s mobile phone use, barred her from leaving their Docklands apartment unless he accompanied her and later only allowed her to speak with her parents for five minutes a month.

Mohamed Ahmed Omer outside the County Court in Melbourne. Picture: Nicki Connolly

“He did not like her communicating with friends and family in Sudan,” Mr Saunders said.

Mr Omer also allegedly forced his wife to take care of another couple’s children which she was unaware he was being paid for.

In September 2014, they went on holiday to Sudan when Mr Omer allegedly took their two children, aged just two and six months, while his wife was at her parent’s home.

The court heard Mr Omer had cancelled his wife’s visa months earlier and kept her identity documents and passport before he returned to Australia without her.

“(She) would not have left Australia if she knew the truth about her visa and residency status,” Mr Saunders said.

“The crown allege Mr Omer deceived (her) into leaving Australia at that time.”

When the woman contacted the Australian Embassy in Egypt, the court heard she was told her husband had informed immigration authorities that they had separated and her visa had been cancelled.

Mr Omer outside Melbourne Magistrates' Court in November 2022. Picture: Craig Dunlop

The woman allegedly made multiple attempts to have her visa reissued between October 2014 and January 2016, but was denied because Mr Omer refused to sponsor her.

The court heard she was eventually able to return to the country in February 2016 — about 16 months since she last saw her children — after receiving help from legal aid and the New Hope Foundation.

The Australian Federal Police’s human trafficking team later investigated the incident, with the woman telling agents she was subject to abuse from her husband.

Mr Omer’s barrister Brett Stevens said the case was a “dispute about the facts” and his client strongly denied using deception to make his wife leave.

The trial before Judge Frank Gucciardo continues.