More at http://www.news.com.au/national/bashed- ... 7184471294" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;JOHN Basikbasik’s weapon of choice was, of all things, a bicycle.
He used it to bash his pregnant defacto wife in an attack so ferocious, both she and her unborn baby died.
Now, fifteen years on, Australia’s human rights watchdog is angling to pay the 51-year-old convicted killer $350,000 for his suffering.
Basikbasik, who came to Australia 30 years ago, served seven years in prison for his crime and a further eight in immigration detention. And despite every immigration minister since 2007 acting to keep him behind bars, Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has sparked outrage by recommending a bulk payment for Basikbasik’s “arbitrary” imprisonment. Her findings, handed down in a 4000-page report, have sparked a row between the commission, domestic violence groups and the Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Basikbasik was so keen to come to Australia from his native Indonesia in 1985 that he paddled here by canoe. He was granted temporary protection at the time and given a protection visa in January 1986.
Before seeking asylum, Basikbasik had been involved in the West Papuan independence movement, but it wasn’t long after arriving in Australia that he began a life of crime.
From 1986-2000, Basikbasik committed a number of violent offences, culminating in the 2000 bashing of his 28-year-old Australian partner, who was four months’ pregnant. He was sentenced to seven years’ in prison for manslaughter and in 2007 was moved to immigration detention when the Department of Immigration ruled he was not fit to rejoin society.
While in detention, Basikbasik racked up more than 40 infractions, including assault. He is also believed to have fathered 14 children by four different women.
A psychiatrist who assessed Basikbasik in 2008 found he was a high risk of commiting further violent offences and would not benefit from treatment, having shown little insight into his aggressive behaviour, The Australian reported. Social work expert Deborah Walsh was quoted as saying that women simply weren’t safe around him.
In a move Tony Abbott has slammed as ‘’bizarre’, Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has recommended Basikbasik be freed from detention with conditions such as curfews and regular reporting, as well as receiving $350,000 compensation. The case is due to come before a Senate hearing in February.
Her report cites the “principal heads of damage” include “injury to liberty” or loss of freedom and “injury to feelings” or the indignity, mental suffering, disgrace and humiliation Basikbasik has suffered.
Her report did not mention Basikbasik’s de facto wife was pregnant when he killed her, or that he had a history of breaching court bail conditions, The Australian reported.
“I have found that Mr Basikbasik’s detention was arbitrary,” Ms Triggs wrote in the report.
“I consider that the Commonwealth should pay Mr Basikbasik an amount of compensation to reflect the loss of liberty caused by his detention. Had Mr Basikbasik been transferred to community detention, or another less restrictive form of detention, he would still have experienced some curtailment of his liberty and I have taken that into account when assessing compensation.”
Perhaps he should be placed on home detention at Gillian Triggs's house and she can be solely responsible for him. Loss of liberty, freedom and injury to feelings? Is this woman mad?
$350,000 compensation for bashing your girlfriend and unborn baby to death with a bike? The Indonesians must be rolling around laughing at our stupidity.
