Villawood Breakout: Hunt for Escapee

A detainee has escaped from Sydney’s Villawood immigration detention centre, police say.

Immigration authorities and NSW police are searching for the man, a police spokesman said.

The detainee, Ricardo Fisher, scaled the fence of the detention centre and escaped about 2.45am this morning, Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Jamal Daoud said.

He was about 22 years old and was being detained after his permanent residence was cancelled on character grounds after a four-year stint in jail, Mr Daoud said.

He did not know what offence Fisher had been jailed for, but said Fisher was fighting the deportation in court because he had never lived in Fiji, to where he was being deported.

‘He came to Australia when he was five years old … [and] all his family live here in Fairfield,’ Mr Daoud said.

Mr Daoud said he was informed of Fisher’s escape by a detainee, who phoned him from the detention centre.

Mr Daoud also met Fisher during a visit to the centre last week.

Minister for Immigration Kevin Andrews was contacted by smh.com.au to confirm the escape, but he did not return calls.

A detainee has escaped from Sydney’s Villawood immigration detention centre, police say.

Immigration authorities and NSW police are searching for the man, a police spokesman said.

The detainee, Ricardo Fisher, scaled the fence of the detention centre and escaped about 2.45am this morning, Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Jamal Daoud said.

He was about 22 years old and was being detained after his permanent residence was cancelled on character grounds after a four-year stint in jail, Mr Daoud said.

He did not know what offence Fisher had been jailed for, but said Fisher was fighting the deportation in court because he had never lived in Fiji, to where he was being deported.

‘He came to Australia when he was five years old … [and] all his family live here in Fairfield,’ Mr Daoud said.

Mr Daoud said he was informed of Fisher’s escape by a detainee, who phoned him from the detention centre.

Mr Daoud also met Fisher during a visit to the centre last week.

Minister for Immigration Kevin Andrews was contacted by smh.com.au to confirm the escape, but he did not return calls.-The Sydney Morning Herald, August 30, 2007