Sad detail in rap sheet of freed Bali Nine inmate Scott Rush as he faces court over historical charges

The criminal record of Bali Nine drug smuggler Scott Rush has revealed how much time has passed since the then teenager stole a Nintendo Gameboy in 2005.

Rush returned to Australia on December 15 after being released from an Indonesian prison following a deal between the two countries.

He surrendered to Queensland Police on Monday a fortnight after his return on historic charges he committed when he was 19 years old.

Supported by his parents Lee and Christine, Rush stood in Brisbane District Court and pleaded guilty to a raft of offenses including fraud, receiving contaminated property and trespassing.

He pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a motor vehicle and seven charges of entering a dwelling, all belonging to the Brisbane area, in March 2005.

Upon entering the properties, Rush stole cash and a number of items including jewellery, a hearing aid, a Nintendo gameBoy and Nokia mobile phones – items symbolic of the early 2000s in Australia.

He also pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property and failing to appear in court a month later in April 2005, and to twice defrauding Cash Converter in late 2004.

Rush committed most of the offenses while receiving a number of suspended sentences of one to two months in prison in January 2005.

He was a drug addict at the time, which months later led to him being arrested in Bali and spending almost 20 years in prison, the court heard.

Magistrate Patricia Kirkman-Scroope initially questioned why a man who was 20 years old was appearing before a court dealing with night-time arrests.

“I thought the name was known but I didn’t make the connection,” Magistrate Kirkman-Scroope said.

The court heard Rush wanted to put his past behind him and make a valuable contribution to society.

His lawyer Terry Fisher added that his client received intensive counseling and self-improvement courses during his 19-year prison stint in Indonesia.

Fisher Dore Lawyers counsel told the court Rush was determined to become a “valuable contributor” to the community.

“Clearly over 20 years you have plenty of time to do that,” Mr Fisher said.

‘He has insight and regret about his previous behaviour, and what he is now committed to is his reintegration into Australian society.’

‘He was 19 years old when he went to Bali, he was arrested at Bali airport with 1.3 kilograms as a drug courier.

‘He was not the main perpetrator. He had actually spent twenty years in prison. From 2006 to 2011, he faced the death penalty, which was subsequently reduced to life imprisonment.

‘Two of the members of the Bali Nine were shot dead by a firing squad, the two main leaders.’

Mr Fisher also told how Lee Rush’s attempt to help his drug-addicted son inadvertently led to him being jailed in Indonesia and given the death penalty.

Mr Rush told Australian Federal Police he was suspicious of what his son was doing, and police promised to tell the then-teenager he was under surveillance to prevent him becoming involved.

“What happened was they didn’t. And before he left for Indonesia, the AFP tipped off the Indonesian authorities that the Australians were there knowing it was a death penalty,” Mr Fisher explained.

Mr Fisher asked the court whether Rush could be convicted but not sentenced, noting the 20 years he had already spent in prison.

Police prosecutor Matthew Bach agreed with the submission and Magistrate Kirkman-Scroope convicted Rush of 13 offenses but did not punish him further.

The term of his suspended sentences was extended by two months.

Rush said nothing but gave a thumbs up when asked how it felt to be a free man off the court.

He was one of five remaining Bali Nine prisoners transferred to Australia earlier this month after the federal government struck a deal with Indonesia.

In addition to Rush, Matthew Norman, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen and Michael Czugaj flew back to Australia on a commercial flight in a top-secret mission after weeks of negotiations between the two nations.

The development came after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese requested the transfer during a meeting with new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the APEC summit in November.

Mr Subianto agreed to release the prisoners on humanitarian grounds.

Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, another of the Bali Nine drug mules who had jointly tried to smuggle 8.7kg of heroin, died behind bars in 2018 from stomach cancer.

Chan and Sukumaran were executed in 2015, while Renae Lawrence was released after thirteen years.