The family of a man killed during an attack at Albany Bus Station yesterday have paid tribute to their dead loved one, as it has emerged he was allegedly a 501 deportee from Australia.
Police this afternoon confirmed the victim was a 24-year-old man. A 16-year-old charged with murder following the incident appeared in Hamilton Youth Court today.
The father of the stabbing victim has tonight also spoken to Stuff about how he was deported from Australia for bad character.
“He should never have been in New Zealand,” the victim’s father told Stuff today. “He would have been better here with us.”
“I’ll remember him as he was when he was a child - lively, loving, energetic and cheeky.”
The 24-year-old victim was deported from Australia on bad character grounds last year, Stuff reported. He was born in Auckland but moved to Australia when he was just 1-year-old.
“It seemed unfair,” the victim’s father said. “He’d found it hard in New Zealand [and had] mental health problems.”
A relative of the dead man has also organised a fundraiser to get his Australia-based family home to New Zealand.
“As you may or may not be aware, our brothers [sic] life was taken in an unprovoked tragic attack at the Albany Bus Stop on Monday afternoon”, the relative wrote on a GoFundMe page.
“His whānau are situated in Brisbane, Australia and are all mourning the loss of their son, brother, uncle and nephew, [but] are unable to be with him.”
It was the family’s wish to “all be able to travel home to be with him in New Zealand, where he will be laid to rest in his whenua”.
“The financial situation is at the moment very hard, to pull all our resources and funds together.
“We would very much appreciate it if we [could] have your support in giving a little or more to help our whānau travel to New Zealand to be with [the victim].
The dead man’s family are being supported by authorities.
“Police and victim support are working with the whānau as they come to terms with this loss,” Detective Inspector Callum McNeill said.
“Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”
The homicide investigation was continuing, McNeill said.
“At this stage, we are not seeking anyone else in relation to this matter.”
Tributes have been posted on Facebook.
“There are no words to describe how much he will be loved and missed,” family wrote.
“We will hold you forever in our hearts, my uso. Long live your memory, my brother. I will love you always.”
However, they encouraged anyone with information regarding the incident, who’d not yet spoken to police, to do so.
This could be done by calling 105, or going online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 and using ‘Update Report’, McNeill said.
“Please reference file number 230918/6677. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.”
501s
The label ‘501 deportee’ refers to the section of Australia’s Migration Act allowing the country to cancel someone’s visa if they fail a “good character” test.
The controversial legislation means anyone who is not an Australian citizen who is sentenced to 12 months in an Australian prison is subject to deportation, though it can also extend to those without convictions.