Trafficking charges as man accused of stranding family
A man accused of deceptively convincing his wife and child to travel to Pakistan with him before ditching them at the airport is set to face court on human trafficking charges.
The 45-year-old southwest Sydney man allegedly travelled with the family members in August 2024 before cancelling his wife's Australian visa and retaining his child's passport, police say.
He then came back to Australia that same month.
The wife subsequently returned to Australia in February and reported the matter to authorities, who helped the one-year-old child also return.
The man was arrested at a home in Austral in southwest Sydney, on Wednesday and charged with human trafficking offences.
He faces two counts of trafficking a person by using deception, and a single count of dealing with identification information involving the use of a carriage service.
The maximum penalty for the trafficking offence is a 12-year jail sentence.
The man was set to face the Liverpool Local Court on Thursday.
Federal police urged anyone who had been through something similar to contact authorities.
"Carrying out actions to force or encourage someone to travel overseas and then impede their ability to return to Australia can be a serious criminal offence," Detective Acting Superintendent Luke Needham said.
"(Federal police) will not hesitate to act when we have evidence of criminal actions.
"Exit trafficking offences quite often occur within family units or in situations where close relationships have disintegrated.
"There is a concern these types of offences are under-reported in Australia."
In September, a different man was hit with similar charges, accused of convincing his wife and children to fly to Pakistan with him under the guise of seeing family, before returning to Australia with their passports and visas.
A man accused of deceptively convincing his wife and child to travel to Pakistan with him before ditching them at the airport is set to face court on human trafficking charges.
The 45-year-old southwest Sydney man allegedly travelled with the family members in August 2024 before cancelling his wife's Australian visa and retaining his child's passport, police say.
He then came back to Australia that same month.
The wife subsequently returned to Australia in February and reported the matter to authorities, who helped the one-year-old child also return.
The man was arrested at a home in Austral in southwest Sydney, on Wednesday and charged with human trafficking offences.
He faces two counts of trafficking a person by using deception, and a single count of dealing with identification information involving the use of a carriage service.
The maximum penalty for the trafficking offence is a 12-year jail sentence.
The man was set to face the Liverpool Local Court on Thursday.
Federal police urged anyone who had been through something similar to contact authorities.
"Carrying out actions to force or encourage someone to travel overseas and then impede their ability to return to Australia can be a serious criminal offence," Detective Acting Superintendent Luke Needham said.
"(Federal police) will not hesitate to act when we have evidence of criminal actions.
"Exit trafficking offences quite often occur within family units or in situations where close relationships have disintegrated.
"There is a concern these types of offences are under-reported in Australia."
In September, a different man was hit with similar charges, accused of convincing his wife and children to fly to Pakistan with him under the guise of seeing family, before returning to Australia with their passports and visas.
A man accused of deceptively convincing his wife and child to travel to Pakistan with him before ditching them at the airport is set to face court on human trafficking charges.
The 45-year-old southwest Sydney man allegedly travelled with the family members in August 2024 before cancelling his wife's Australian visa and retaining his child's passport, police say.
He then came back to Australia that same month.
The wife subsequently returned to Australia in February and reported the matter to authorities, who helped the one-year-old child also return.
The man was arrested at a home in Austral in southwest Sydney, on Wednesday and charged with human trafficking offences.
He faces two counts of trafficking a person by using deception, and a single count of dealing with identification information involving the use of a carriage service.
The maximum penalty for the trafficking offence is a 12-year jail sentence.
The man was set to face the Liverpool Local Court on Thursday.
Federal police urged anyone who had been through something similar to contact authorities.
"Carrying out actions to force or encourage someone to travel overseas and then impede their ability to return to Australia can be a serious criminal offence," Detective Acting Superintendent Luke Needham said.
"(Federal police) will not hesitate to act when we have evidence of criminal actions.
"Exit trafficking offences quite often occur within family units or in situations where close relationships have disintegrated.
"There is a concern these types of offences are under-reported in Australia."
In September, a different man was hit with similar charges, accused of convincing his wife and children to fly to Pakistan with him under the guise of seeing family, before returning to Australia with their passports and visas.
A man accused of deceptively convincing his wife and child to travel to Pakistan with him before ditching them at the airport is set to face court on human trafficking charges.
The 45-year-old southwest Sydney man allegedly travelled with the family members in August 2024 before cancelling his wife's Australian visa and retaining his child's passport, police say.
He then came back to Australia that same month.
The wife subsequently returned to Australia in February and reported the matter to authorities, who helped the one-year-old child also return.
The man was arrested at a home in Austral in southwest Sydney, on Wednesday and charged with human trafficking offences.
He faces two counts of trafficking a person by using deception, and a single count of dealing with identification information involving the use of a carriage service.
The maximum penalty for the trafficking offence is a 12-year jail sentence.
The man was set to face the Liverpool Local Court on Thursday.
Federal police urged anyone who had been through something similar to contact authorities.
"Carrying out actions to force or encourage someone to travel overseas and then impede their ability to return to Australia can be a serious criminal offence," Detective Acting Superintendent Luke Needham said.
"(Federal police) will not hesitate to act when we have evidence of criminal actions.
"Exit trafficking offences quite often occur within family units or in situations where close relationships have disintegrated.
"There is a concern these types of offences are under-reported in Australia."
In September, a different man was hit with similar charges, accused of convincing his wife and children to fly to Pakistan with him under the guise of seeing family, before returning to Australia with their passports and visas.
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