A survivor of child sexual assault from Perth has reached out to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, urgently requesting the deportation of her UK-born abuser following a tribunal’s decision to reinstate his visa.
Note: This article contains sensitive information that may be upsetting to some readers.
The individual in question, now in his 80s, was imprisoned in 2024 for his sexual offense against the girl when she was just nine years old. His visa was initially revoked but was reinstated last year by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), which concluded that his long-standing connections to Australia were of greater significance than the safety and expectations of the community.
The teenager, who has chosen to go by the pseudonym Rose to protect her identity, has sent a letter to Mr. Burke, urging him to exercise his authority to override the tribunal’s ruling and facilitate the man’s deportation.
While the minister’s office has not yet provided a response, sources indicate that the Department of Home Affairs is in the process of preparing a report to evaluate the possibility of re-cancelling the man’s visa.
According to court documents, the man incapacitated Rose through tickling before the assault occurred. In her letter, she expressed the profound impact of his actions, stating, “He claims he cannot remember what he did to me … but I remember everything. I live with it every single day.”
In 2024, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison for sexually assaulting Rose in the presence of another child. Rose conveyed to the minister that the feelings of betrayal she experienced at the time of the assault resurfaced during her abuser’s trial.
Although the jury found the man guilty of one charge concerning Rose, he was acquitted on other counts, including those involving a different child. “Navigating a legal system that told me I was lying, that I had imagined it, or that it was a dream. Those words have stayed with me,” she wrote.
“I placed my trust in the system believing that those in positions of power would protect me.” Rose expressed her disillusionment with the justice system when she discovered that her abuser had successfully appealed his visa cancellation through the ART.
The ART serves as an independent entity that reviews administrative decisions made by government officials, including visa cancellations. The Home Affairs Minister possesses the authority under migration laws to override tribunal decisions if deemed necessary for public welfare.
In 2024, former Home Affairs Minister Andrew Giles revoked 40 visas after serious foreign-born criminals managed to evade deportation through the tribunal’s previous appeal process. Rose has implored the current minister to utilize his powers “to do the right thing” in an email also directed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“I am asking you as the victim, begging you,” she wrote. “Please cancel his visa and ensure he is deported. It has taken a great deal for me to write this. I am asking you to restore some of the trust that has been broken, not only by the person who abused me, but by systems and decisions that have failed to protect me.”
If you or someone you know is in need of support regarding child sexual abuse, please contact the relevant services for assistance.
