An Iraqi refugee accused of groping two teenage girls at a Brisbane under 18’s music festival has had the charges against him dropped, but is now facing deportation.
Basam Samarae was due to stand trial in Brisbane District Court today on one count of indecent treatment of a child and one count of sexual assault, after being charged with assaulting the two teens — aged 15 and 17 — at the 2014 Live It Up Festival.
Prosecutors allege Samarae had attended the under-18’s event at RNA Showgrounds in Bowen Hills alone, but was older than 18 at the time.
As News Corp reports, Samarae, who is being held in immigration detention in Pinkenba, had previously told the court he’d been possessed by Islamic fairies called “Jinn” at the time of the alleged assaults.
But the charges were dropped, and the case discontinued, by the prosecution before the trial was due to commence this morning, with Samarae now back in court to appeal a protection visa knock-back.
“He could be taken out of the country by plane today,” Samarae’s lawyer told the courtroom.
Samarae’s legal team are currently arguing that Samarae should not be immediately deported back to Iraq.
We’ll keep you updated with more news on this story as it develops.
Basam Samarae / Image Via News Corp
