Refugee thief lucky to stay

THE co-accused of a man who threatened to kill and eat his victims if they didn’t surrender their alcohol has been told by a judge he was lucky not to be deported.

Ali Yussuf Omar, 24, robbed two men in a Garbutt liquor store car park for their alcohol in the afternoon on April 26 last year with his co-accused Adrian Dami, 24.

The Townsville District Court heard Dami grabbed one of the men, pinned him to the car and held his forearm to his chest and threatened to kill him if he didn’t hand over his alcohol and wallet.

Crown prosecutor Aaron Dunkerton said Dami then pinned the other man to the car and held his forearm to his chest and told him he was a cannibal and would rape, murder and eat him if he told anyone what had happened.

Dami handed Omar the bottles of alcohol that were seized from the two men in the attack.

Police arrested Omar at the scene. Omar pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in company. Omar was found not guilty of one count of robbery in company using personal violence in a judge-only trial for allegedly helping Dami to steal liquor from the Garbutt Dan Murphy’s store just moments earlier.

The court heard Omar was a Somalian refugee who was granted protection with his family in Australia in 2005.

Defence barrister Dane Marley told the court Omar had “moved away from his faith” and had been drinking alcohol at Dami’s house before the robbery.

Mr Marley said Omar had applied for Australian citizenship last year and urged Judge Gregory Lynham not to impose a sentence of more than 12 months as it would cause problems for possible deportation. Omar was supported in court by his family with Judge Lynham explaining he was close to being deported for his “brazen” crime.

Omar had already spent 42 days in custody before he was sentenced to 10 months’ jail to be served as an intensive correction order.

Convictions were recorded.