A 60 year old Hong Kong national has been refused entry to Australia after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Perth Airport discovered he was a convicted child sex offender.
The man arrived on a flight from Hong Kong late on Saturday night (6 April 2019) and was removed from Australia last night (7 April 2019).
Although the man declared on his Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) that he had previous criminal convictions, he had failed to declare his criminal history or the serious nature of the offences when he originally applied for his online visa.
ABF officers discovered the man was convicted in the Hong Kong High Court in 2012 on nine charges, including Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Girl under 13, Making Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography.
He was sentenced to 12 years and four months jail.
On Saturday night the ABF undertook an examination and formal interview with the man where the full breadth of his criminal history was confirmed.
His visitor’s visa was cancelled and he was transferred to the Perth Immigration Detention Centre (PIDC) pending his removal.
ABF Regional Commander for WA, Rod O’Donnell, said ABF officers take very seriously their duty to protect the Australian community from foreign visitors with serious criminal convictions.
“The ABF plays a critical role in screening non-citizens who pose a threat to the Australian community, particularly those involved in exploiting children and the vulnerable,” Commander O’Donnell said.
“In this case, the fact the man had been sentenced to more than 12 months jail constituted a breach of the conditions of his visa and the ABF therefore refused him entry to Australia.
“Our officers will continue to work diligently at the border to protect the Australian community by identifying those foreign nationals who have been convicted of crimes against children, violent offences or drug offences and taking appropriate action.”
