With his tracking anklet clearly visible, strapped to his left leg, a former immigration detainee was enjoying a morning mingle and coffee in downtown Footscray as he declared the “bad spirits” had gone and he was “born new” since a court granted his freedom two days ago.
Abdelmoez Mohamed Elawad, freed on bail by the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday, was smiling and calmly enjoying another taste of freedom with his friends in the chilly morning air.
The 45-year-old Sudanese-born man – one of 159 immigration detainees released after the High Court’s NZYQ ruling – was seen sporting an orange hat and a denim jacket.
Elawad was freed despite racking up more than 208 criminal charges, including 18 convictions for possessing weapons and a string of violent assaults and breaching curfews.
