November 12th 2024.
A man, Mohamed Ahmed Omer, has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for tricking his wife into traveling to Sudan and then abandoning her there. He then took their two young children back to Australia without her knowledge or consent.
Omer, who is 52 years old, was charged with the serious offence of exit trafficking in Victoria. He faced a jury trial and was found guilty in April. He had taken his wife and their two children, aged six months and two years, to Sudan under the pretense of going on a holiday in 2014.
However, unbeknownst to his wife, Omer had altered their flight tickets and revoked his support for her Australian visa, resulting in its cancellation. He then left Sudan with their two children and returned to Australia without telling his wife. He also took her passport and other important documents, leaving her stranded in Sudan for 16 months.
It was only after 16 months that the wife was finally able to make it back to Australia, but Omer continued to prevent her from seeing her children. The prosecution argued that Omer's actions were callous and showed a pattern of coercive control over his wife, and therefore, he deserved to be punished with a prison sentence.
On the other hand, Omer's lawyers argued for a good behaviour bond with some time served in prison, as they believed his actions did not involve any threats of violence and he had an otherwise blameless life. However, Judge Frank Gucciardo found Omer guilty of deliberately devising a plan to get rid of his wife, while also subjecting her to physical, emotional, and financial abuse.
In his sentencing, Judge Gucciardo told Omer that he had treated his wife as a mere possession that he could dispose of at his will. As a result, Omer was sentenced to up to four years and six months in prison, with a minimum eligibility for parole after three years and three months. As he was sentenced, Omer gave a thumbs up to his defence lawyer.
For anyone who needs support, the National Sexual Assault and Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT is available.
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