Australia has been accused of dumping its criminals abroad after deporting a convicted rapist to Sweden even though he spent only the first 25 days of his life there.
Stefan Nystrom, 32, who speaks no Swedish and knew nobody in the country of his birth, was said to have been left disorientated at Arlanda airport, Stockholm, when he arrived.
Nystrom was born while his mother, herself of Swedish origin, was on holiday in Sweden in 1974, but he never claimed Australian citizenship formally. He lived a turbulent life, amassing 87 convictions including aggravated rape at the age of 16, arson, theft, burglary and drug offences. His Australian visa was revoked on character grounds in April 2004.
Phillip Lynch, director of Australia’s Human Rights Law Resource Centre, has filed a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee in an attempt to force Australia to let Nystrom return. A decision could take two years.
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