Accused Chinese people smuggler denied bail in Cairns court
An alleged people smuggler is denied bail after his fishing-trip alibi was dismissed because he had 10 illegal migrants in his hotel room and no evidence of an interest in fishing.
Hao Wang, a Sydney-based Chinese individual, has been denied bail after being accused of people-smuggling. The charges stem from the arrival of 10 Chinese citizens who arrived in Far North Queensland from Indonesia via boat. Mr Wang was arrested in Weipa, a town on western Cape York Peninsula, on June 30. The court heard that he had driven an 800km journey from Cairns three days prior, a journey that typically takes over 10 hours.
The 10 migrants were found in a hotel room at the Albatross Hotel in Weipa. Magistrate Michael Dalton rejected the defence lawyer's claim that the prosecution's case was weak, noting the coincidental timing of Mr Wang's presence in the hotel room with the migrants. The defence argued that Mr Wang claimed to have been on a fishing trip, but the magistrate dismissed this, stating that fishing off Weipa is not a beginner's activity and there was no evidence suggesting Mr Wang had any interest in the sport.
The prosecutor stated that even if bail was granted, the attorney-general would likely take Mr Wang into immigration detention soon after. The maximum penalty for people-smuggling is 20 years in prison, with a mandatory non-parole period of at least three years.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
