02-08-2025
Fugitive Irish alleged conman who was on the run for months after Hollywood-style escape is finally arrested
An alleged conman has been arrested after escaping a detention facility by tying bedsheets together and scaling down the side of a building.
Michael Connors, 26, who was travelling across Australia under multiple aliases, was caught in Box Hill, northwest of Sydney, on Thursday.
Police allege the Celtic man had arrived in Brisbane from Qatar in March with an alleged counterfeit passport with the name Craig O'Neill.
Australian Border Force officers detained Connors after he refused to undertake biometric checks.
Connors was taken to the Meriton Suites, in Brisbane's CBD, where detainees are sometimes held before being deported.
After spending just two days at Meriton Suites - and before he could be repatriated to the UK - police allege Connors tied bedsheets together and climbed out of the window from the third floor unit.
Officers alleged Mr Connors had gone by several different aliases while travelling across the country using forged documents.
Both are offences under Australia's Migration Act and the maximum penalty for the false documents offence is 10 years' imprisonment.
The Australian Federal Police had been extensively searching for him ever since his escape and issued a warrant for his arrest in April.
Officers allege Connors had outstanding interstate court matters for various offences including burglary and fraud.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Natalie Scott said Connors had targeted vulnerable people in the community through roof-repairing scams.
'Mr Connors has a history of alleged involvement in serious offences including burglary and roof-repair scams, where he has allegedly preyed on vulnerable community members,' Ms Scott said.
'Police will allege Mr Connors has engaged in fraudulent activity across two countries and left devastated people in his wake.'
Police further alleged Mr Connors had a history of using fake credentials to get into Australia and had done so many times in the past.
Other names he had used which were known to police included Craig O'Neill, Michael O'Brien, John Cash, Karl George Lynch and Joseph Blyth Kennedy.
In July, Connors tried to use one of his false identities to obtain a NSW driver's licence.
Local police alerted the AFP and Connors was found shortly thereafter at the Sydney address he used on his licence application.
He was extradited to Queensland and faced Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday.
He was charged with one count of using false documents and false or misleading information and one count of escaping from detention.
Connors' lawyer, Mark Stone, asked for the matter to be adjourned until August 15.
The AFP allege he is in the country illegally.
