Carjacker fights visa cancellation
THE Federal Government is struggling to deport a notorious Apex gang thug who finished his youth detention term more than four months ago.
Issac Gatkuoth was sentenced to a 16-month term in 2016 for a terrifying carjacking in Melbourne in which a shotgun was pointed at victim Sam Newman’s head.
Traumatised, Mr Newman went on to take his own life.
His mother, Denise Scott, said Gatkuoth, 20, had forfeited the right to remain in Australia.
“I’ll fly the plane,” she told the Herald Sun.
Gatkuoth’s visa was automatically cancelled on conviction because he was sentenced to more than 12 months. When he completed his sentence on August 28 he was taken into immigration detention.
He is on Christmas Island but is fighting the cancellation of his visa.
Gatkuoth, who came to Australia on humanitarian grounds, is one of seven Victorians linked to gang crime whose visas have been cancelled.
One has been deported, four are in jail and two are in immigration detention.
In November 2015, Gatkuoth and an accomplice followed Mr Newman from a nightclub in a stolen BMW before pouncing outside the family home in the outer Melbourne suburb of Frankston South.
Gatkuoth, who had not slept for two weeks, was high on ice when he pointed the shotgun at Mr Newman.
Mr Newman’s death was the second linked to a chain of crimes involving Gatkuoth.
The stolen BMW ended up in the hands of a gang member, aged 15, who just three days later killed mother-of-two Amanda Matheson in a head-on crash.
Supporters of Gatkuoth have previously launched an online petition, saying the decision to pursue his deportation is unfair.
That online petition, which gained 602 supporters, said Gatkuoth was “as much one of ‘our’ kids as anyone. He needs support, not racism, vilification and deportation”.
Gatkuoth’s two brothers were killed in the conflict in Sudan, which wiped out his entire village.
But Ms Scott said: “My life’s still in turmoil, and it’s because of him. I know there were other factors but he (Gatkuoth) played the biggest part.
“He had more than one chance. My son was reliving that night over and over.”
Ms Scott said authorities had contributed to the growth of African gangs by being asleep at the wheel.
“There are a lot of lovely Sudanese people, but some of these kids think they are above the law,” she said.
“It’s just ignorant to say we don’t have a problem.”