Melbourne Mr Universe Gary Lewer mounts new bid to avoid deportation
A Melbourne Mr Universe winner is set to mount a Federal Court challenge to avoid deportation to the UK, where he hasn’t lived since the age of five. Here’s why Gary Lewer thinks he should be allowed to stay.
Police & Courts
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A Melbourne Mr Universe title winner is set to mount a Federal Court challenge to avoid deportation.
Three-time world champion bodybuilder Gary Lewer was arrested in March after a ruling by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton that he be sent back to Britain.
Mr Lewer, 64, moved to Australia as a five-year-old but has never taken out citizenship.
He is currently at the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation facility in Maribyrnong.
Mr Dutton made his decision based on a dossier of Mr Lewer’s activities provided by Victoria Police, alleging he was of bad character.
Barrister Chris Oldham said his client was being detained over allegations that never resulted in a conviction.
He said the move on Mr Lewer by authorities came out of the blue and should ring alarm bells for everyone as much of it was based on unproven accusations, with little recourse available.
Mr Oldham said Mr Lewer was last convicted 25 years ago on weapons offences, for which he received a six-month prison term.
“It (the arrest) came out of nowhere,” he said.
“The consequences of behaviour 25 years ago create a situation where a non-citizen can be held in detention indefinitely or returned to a country he has no links with.”
The section 501 provisions under which he was detained have been used to expel dozens of outlaw motorcycle gang figures in recent years.
But Mr Oldham said Mr Lewer would be an “unintended victim” of the harsh system.
He said his client had been injured in a fall recently but his family was not being kept updated with that issue.
Mr Lewer was in 2013 charged over what police at the time believed was the biggest-ever seizure of precursor materials in Victoria.
Police arrested him over an operation involving the substance sodium 3-oxo4 phenylbutanoate, which they alleged had the capacity to produce ice worth $500 million.
The investigation centred on an enormous importation of chemicals from China.
The charges against Mr Lewer, and his co-accused, nephew Shaun Cousens, were later withdrawn by prosecutors.
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