“The minister has not taken a single application to re-detain one of these criminals,and now more Australians are being harmed,with the likely risk extending to many more Australians. When will you show leadership,stop being so weak and sack this minister?” Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Labor was forced by the court to release the detainees.
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley directly linked the issue to Saturday’s byelection in a post on social media site X that remained online even after the charges were withdrawn.
“If you live in Frankston and you’ve got a problem with Victorian women being assaulted by foreign criminals,vote against Labor,” Ley posted.
“If you do not want to see Australian women being assaulted by foreign criminals,vote against Labor. Send Labor a message.”
Victoria Police and the Magistrate’s Court explicitly exonerated Pirimapun,who is no longer a suspect in the current investigation.
“Charges have now been withdrawn by Victoria Police – I’m told that’s because their investigations have shown that it is not Alfons Pirimapun,” magistrate Megan Casey said.
Galliot said the detainee was arrested based on GPS tracking data that located him near the crime scene as well as a small sample of CCTV footage. On Thursday,a wider sample of CCTV helped prove he was not at the crime scene.
The new suspect looked to be around the same age,ethnicity and height as the wrongfully accused man,Galliot claimed.
He declined to comment on the political uproar caused by the police mistake.
In a chaotic court hearing on Thursday evening,the police prosecutor initially wasn’t aware charges had been withdrawn.
“This is the first I’m hearing of it,your honour,” he said. “I just messaged my sergeant upstairs to get some details,but I don’t know anything about a withdrawal.”
Documents tabled in the Senate earlier this month revealed that of the 149 freed detainees,seven were previously convicted of murder or attempted murder,37 of sexual offences,and 72 of assault and violent offending,kidnapping or armed robbery.
Right-wing political campaigning group Advance is spending nearly $300,000 in the Dunkley byelection in Victoria highlighting Labor’s decision-making on the High Court case.
Albanese last week criticised Advance for a newspaper advertisement referring to “rapists,paedophiles and murderers” released from immigration detention.
“How many in Dunkley?” the ad asked.
Criminal defence lawyer Ruth Parker said while it was an embarrassing episode for law enforcement,it’s unlikely the man has a cause of action to sue because the police rectified the error by releasing him soon after taking him into custody.
With David Estcourt