This was published 4 months ago
The phone call between Perth bashing victim and the immigration minister
By Hamish Hastie and Jamie Freestone
The Perth grandmother bashed in her own home, allegedly by a former detainee, has taken on the Immigration Minister Andrew Giles over the chain of events prior to the attack.
In a powerful phone call, Ninette Simons asked why her accused was freed on bail multiple times prior to her assault, and why he wasn’t wearing an ankle monitor.
Ninette and her husband Philip Simons have found themselves at the centre of a political firestorm over how detainees – released following last year’s landmark High Court decision – were being monitored in the community.
Former detainee Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, and two other men were allegedly let into the Simons’ home on April 16 after impersonating police officers. They are then accused of tying Philip up, bashing Ninette, and stealing more than $200,000 worth of jewellery.
Speaking out for the first since it was revealed Doukoshkan wasn’t being electronically monitored and had been bailed for breaching curfew conditions in February, Ninette told 9 News Perth she was horrified to find out she had a former detainee in her lounge room.
While being interviewed by 9 News Perth on Wednesday Ninette took a call from Giles who wanted to offer his sympathy and his department’s services to help her recovery.
During the phone call, Ninette questioned why Doukoshkan was freed on bail and why his ankle bracelet was removed in March.
“I don’t feel very safe here unfortunately, I don’t. But I’m doing my best to live here,” she told Giles.
“Any noise I hear any doorbell rings I’m just jumping out of my skin.
“We should feel safe, but we feel we have been let down.”
Ninette Simons speaking to Immigration Minister Andrew Giles on Wednesday.Credit: 9 News Perth
Giles told her he was seeking information from the Community Protection Board, a panel of justice system experts set up by Labor, which decided Doukoshkan no longer needed to be monitored in March.
She later told 9 News she couldn’t fathom how the alleged incident was able to occur.
“He should have been locked up, he shouldn’t have been released into the public,” she said.
Ninette also said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should also explain why Doukoshkan wasn’t being monitored, with her attack having a profound impact on her.
“[I’m] feeling like my whole world is falling apart. I’m not the same person I can’t do the things freely that we used to do,” she said.
“Life’s never going to be the same again and we thought we’ll be happy in our twilight years, but it’s quite the opposite.”
She said she also does not expect to retrieve the $200,000 in uninsured jewellery that was stolen from her which she said was their retirement savings.
“The main items they took was jewellery from my safe and all that I was wearing, which was a hell of a lot,” she said.
“It was foolish on my part I take full responsibility, but I thought I was safe in my home – I wasn’t going out late at night or things like that.
“That’s our life savings. We don’t have shares or anything else. That was just what I invested in.”
Ninette said Giles sounded genuine.
“I was very touched by the words that he said to me. It makes me feel a lot, I wouldn’t say happy, but makes me feel a lot better and a bit more secure than what I’ve been feeling,” she said.