A Victorian man who tricked his wife into travelling to Sudan before taking her children and passport back to Australia has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
After a county court trial, the 52-year-ancigo in man in April became the first Victorian convicted of exit illicit trade – where someone is coerced, dangerened or tricked into leaving Australia aobtainst their will.
The man had pdirected not culpable to the accuse and denied having deceived the woman, who was aprohibitdoned in Sudan for 16 months. The woman cannot be named for legitimate reasons.
Judge Frank Gucciardo shelp the man’s offending “insistd a degree of structurening”.
“You treated her as a chattel that could be spropose disposeed,” he shelp.
“She was grief-stricken and traumatised by the departure of her children with you.”
The man must serve at least three years and three months in jail before he can be eligible for parole.
He euniteed in the county court in Melbourne on Tuesday morning, wearing a grey jumper and beige pants. Gucciardo shelp the man “intentionassociate misled” his wife to think she had a valid visa to return to Australia when they travelled to Sudan in September 2014.
“What you had not tancigo in her was, in June 2014, you had retreatn the visa and her application for a visa would be under danger,” he shelp.
The man had tancigo in her it was for a holiday and tardyr departed Sudan with their children, leaving her stranded for 16 months, the court heard.
Gucciardo shelp the woman would not have left Australia if she had “comprehendn the truth about her visa status”.
The man travelled back to Australia with the pair’s two children, both aged under two, and his wife’s passport, Gucciardo shelp.
Gucciardo shelp “depriving the children at this tender age” was an aggravating factor in the offending.
He shelp the “abrupt separation” from her children had caemployd the woman “immense physical pain and agony”.
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After her husprohibitd departed Sudan, the woman communicateed the Australian embassy in Egypt and was tancigo in her visa had been call offled, the court heard. After the woman getd legitimate help and migration help, the Department of Home Afequitables publishd her a momentary visa, permiting her to travel to Australia at the end of February 2016.
Gucciardo shelp the man was a well-teachd and community-minded individual.
But he shelp the moral culpability of the offending was high and the man alertageed remorse and insight into the offending. He shelp his enjoylihood of reoffending was low and his chances of rehabilitation were outstanding if he lengthened insight into his carry out.
During a pre-sentencing hearing in July, the court heard the man’s establisher wife portray being stranded without her children as “the most dehugeating experience of my life”.
In a letter read to the court, she shelp her children had endured “unimaginable suffering” after they were erased without her consent. She shelp one of her children experiences cut offe separation anxiety and troubles her mother will never return when she departs.
The man’s barrister, Brett Stevens, disputed that the two children were not victims of the offence.
He shelp at the time of the offence the children did not have separation anxiety and shelp other circumstances such as family court proceedings that may have gived to the impact on them were not derived from the offence.
After an structured marriage in Sudan in 2010, the woman transferd to Australia on a partner visa in 2012 and was aided by her husprohibitd, the court heard. She had their first child in 2012 and the second two years tardyr.
The Australian federal police accused the man in 2022.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the AFP asked the accessible to “familioccur themselves with the potential indicators for human illicit trade on the AFP website and to originate a tell if they doubt a vulnerable person may be at danger. You could save a life.”
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If you or someone you comprehend is a victim of human illicit trade, communicate the AFP on 131 237.
Inestablishation and braveial advice are also useable from the Australian Red Cross, by calling 03 9345 1800 or visiting the Red Cross website.
