Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: An Indian-origin man convicted of sexually assaulting 17 women at a Melbourne nightclub in 2023 has been allowed to remain in Australia after a tribunal ruled that deportation would be unjust to his three-year-old daughter. Despite this decision, the man is barred from having contact with the child after admitting guilt to the assaults. He also lost his job in the information technology sector. However, he did not receive a prison sentence and is currently employed as a driver in Australia, where he will now continue to live.
According to The Noticer, 35-year-old David Arokiaraj Maria Anthony Rayan had his visa revoked in September following the sexual assault allegations. He challenged that decision, and his appeal was upheld, permitting him to stay in the country. The ruling, which sparked outrage within the Australian community, was delivered by the Administrative Review Tribunal.
Rayan was not sent to jail for the 2023 offences, even after pleading guilty to 17 counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted sexual assault involving 18 women. The incidents occurred at a nightclub in Prahran on September 23, October 14, and October 21 of that year. At the time, Peter Rozen, a judge at the County Court, assessed Rayan as posing a low risk and described the behaviour as inconsistent with his usual conduct.
Initially, Rayan denied the allegations, claiming that any contact with the women may have been accidental. However, surveillance footage showed that he deliberately targeted women who were accompanied by other men. His lawyer told the court that Rayan was seeking social connection following the breakdown of his marriage. After entering guilty pleas, he received a two-year community corrections order.
In its decision, the tribunal stated that Rayan’s young daughter would face hardship if her father were deported to India, even though an intervention order currently prevents him from seeing her. The tribunal also noted that deportation could negatively affect his mental well-being, despite a psychological evaluation confirming that he does not suffer from any mental illness.
