A recently released immigration detainee living in a western Sydney motel at taxpayer expense was previously jailed for procuring a child for sex, it can be revealed.
Rahmatullah Rezaei was due to appear in court again this week after police found several Facebook accounts on his phone that he had not told them about.
When Daily Mail Australia first spoke to Rezaei outside the motel in November, he refused to explain why he had been in detention for eight years.
Rezaei, who wore an ankle monitor as he smoked in the parking lot, enjoyed his freedom after the Supreme Court ruled that indefinite detention was unlawful.
“I live well in this area now,” the 35-year-old said. ‘I’m very good here. I’m completely fine.’
When asked if he could explain why his visa had been revoked, Rezaei said: “No, I can’t.”
A recently released immigration detainee living in a western Sydney motel at taxpayer expense was previously jailed for procuring a child for sex. Rahmatullah Rezaei is pictured wearing an ankle monitor at the motel
Rezaei was convicted in Griffith Local Court in March 2016 of procuring a child for unlawful sexual activity, common assault and two counts of stalking/harassment.
He was sentenced to two years in prison with a minimum term of eighteen months, but appealed against the severity of the sentence.
Two months later, a court judge upheld Rezaei’s appeal and reduced his sentence to one year in prison with a non-parole period of seven months.
He had already served that minimum term and was taken into immigration detention, where he remained until the Supreme Court’s November 8 ruling.
The Supreme Court ruled that it was unlawful to detain non-citizens who had been denied visas if there was no prospect of resettlement in another country.
On Tuesday, police visited Rezaei to ensure he was complying with the conditions of his release from the Villawood Detention Center.
Upon inspecting his cell phone, officers found a number of Facebook accounts that he had not declared.
Rezaei, who had been on the child abuse register since 2016, was twice accused of failing to comply with his reporting obligations.
When Daily Mail Australia spoke to Rahmatullah Rezaei (right) outside a motel in Sydney’s west in November, he refused to explain why he had been in detention for eight years.
On Wednesday he was convicted of both offenses and given a two-year community corrections order after pleading guilty at Bankstown Local Court.
Outside court, Rezaei told the Daily Telegraph he posed no risk to the community and was “pleased” to be allowed to remain in Australia.
“No, I’m not dangerous,” he said. “Detention is my past story… I am an easy person for Australia.”
Rezaei also downplayed the severity of his offense.
‘There was a little mistake and that’s it. It’s not a serious problem. It was just a mistake,” he told the newspaper.
On the day Daily Mail Australia spoke to Rezaei, he left the motel in a white Kia with two smartly dressed men who returned with him about 45 minutes later.
He was one of nine noncitizens staying in the three-story brick building, which is located far from the highway, near a gas station and a fast-food restaurant.
Each released prisoner received at least $550 a fortnight from the government’s Status Resolution Support Service and received Medicare.
Rezaei’s appearance in court came as the federal government was accused of an “outrageous cover-up” after withholding timely public updates on convicted criminals released from immigration detention.
Rezaei is one of nine noncitizens staying in the three-story building, which is located far from the highway, near a gas station and a fast-food restaurant. In the photo, police are visiting the motel
Information about released prisoners was previously released immediately under Operation Aegis, and 149 were released on December 4.
But the government will now limit this data to an existing monthly immigration report, with the latest edition, covering October, not due until late December, two months later.
In addition, the federal government will no longer inform the public if released prisoners commit state-level crimes, also previously announced under the Australian Border Force’s Operation Aegis, and will leave that to local police.
Commonwealth level offences, such as breaches of visa conditions, will be announced by the ABF.
Home Secretary James Paterson said burying the information in a monthly government report showed a “total disregard for transparency” by Labor.
“It’s appalling that they think they can now keep the public in the dark about how many foreign criminals they are releasing into the community and how many have reoffended against Australians,” Senator Paterson said.
He has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “pull aside whoever made this secret decision.”
But speaking to Sunrise on Wednesday morning, Mr Albanese said there had been no changes in the way the public was informed since the last coalition government.
“There has been no change whatsoever in the information going out when Peter Dutton was Home Secretary,” Albanese said.
‘No change whatsoever.’
“The information is being released in an appropriate manner… what they (the opposition) are trying to do is perpetuate a narrative.”
The latest data announced by the ABF shows that seven of the 148 released prisoners have been rearrested and Albanese was questioned about whether that number had increased.
“Not to my knowledge, but the information is being released in the normal manner,” he said.
“If someone breaks a Commonwealth law, it will be disclosed in a transparent manner. If someone violates a state law, the states will be responsible for it in the normal way. There hasn’t been any change here.’