Bikie boss among 31 New Zealand criminals deported from Australia
More than 30 New Zealand criminals, including a former bikie boss, have been deported from Australia after their visas were cancelled.
More than 30 New Zealand criminals, with rap sheets that include armed robbery, firearm possession and assault, have been deported after having their visas cancelled on character grounds.
Two charter flights, which departed on July 14 and 15, carried the 31 criminals from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Among them was Mace Sitope, also known as Ray Elise, the former president of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang in Victoria.
An Australian Border Force statement reveals Sitope’s criminal record includes physical assault and violence, possession of firearms as well as standover and other intimidation offences.
The rap sheets of the others on the two flights included armed robbery, aggravated burglary, unlawful assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contravention of family violence order, recklessly causing injury, obtaining property by deception and unlawful use of motor vehicles.
Footage shows the men arriving on the tarmac via bus before exiting with handcuffs and face masks on.
One man had to remove his face covering for an identity check before boarding the plane.
All passengers had come straight from jail except Sitope, who had been in immigration detention since at least April.
The flights mark the first transfer to New Zealand since the coronavirus shutdown and were the result of extensive talks between Australian and NZ authorities.
ABF commander for field operations, Ben Biddington, said 2877 New Zealand visas had been cancelled on character grounds since the law was strengthened in December 2014.
“The Australian Government is responsible for protecting the community from the risk of harm arising from foreign nationals who choose to engage in criminal activity. The majority of those persons removed had their visas cancelled under s501 of the Migration Act,” he said.
Provisions under the Migration Act 1958 allow the home affairs minister to cancel a visa if a person is considered to not be of good character.
A person can fail the character test for several reasons, including but not limited to circumstances where a non-citizen has a substantial criminal record.
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