Hand gained, home likely lost

By Bruce Butler

PERTH - History-making transplant patient Clint Hallam may have gained a new hand but he appears to have lost his new home in Australia.

The convicted fraudster, a New Zealander, is recuperating in the French city of Lyon, where surgeons attached a dead person's hand to his stump in September.

He had been expected to return home to Perth for Christmas, but the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs is considering whether to bar him because he may have lied to officials about his criminal past.

Detective Sergeant Chris Porteous of Perth said the department was reluctant to have him back in Australia.

It is understood that Mr Hallam's wife and four children have joined him in Lyon for Christmas and that he will not try to return to Perth until next year.

Mr Hallam lost his hand in a circular-saw accident while serving a 30-month sentence for fraud. He is banned from conducting business in New Zealand and is still wanted in Perth on bankruptcy matters.

But West Australian fraud charges relating to an alleged international fuel-card scam will be dropped on January 12, when he is due to appear in the Perth District Court.

The file has been handed to New South Wales authorities, who may still prosecute if immigration chiefs allow Mr Hallam back into Australia.

New Zealanders can be refused entry on arrival in Australia if they have a serious criminal record.