Media commentator Prue MacSween has called for the immediate deportation of Michael Angok, a convicted gang rapist who evaded authorities for five days after escaping from a Sydney hospital. She criticized the system that permitted him to remain in Australia for over a decade following his 2014 crime.
Escape and Recapture
Michael Angok fled on foot from Bankstown Hospital in southwest Sydney last Wednesday. Police had transported him there under guard from Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. Authorities recaptured him in Seven Hills around 2:45 p.m. on Sunday. He faces Blacktown Court on Monday.
Details of the Crime
In February 2016, a court convicted Angok of four counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a person aged over 14 but under 16. He received a 45-month sentence with a two-year non-parole period. The assault occurred in 2014 at Bill Colbourne Reserve in Doonside, western Sydney.
A 14-year-old girl walking home alone encountered four males. One pinned her to the footpath, enabling the others to assault her over 30 minutes. Court records describe the offenders taking turns, with one saying, “Give me a piece of that.” Angok, then 18, was the second to assault her while another offender forced her to perform oral sex.
Immigration and Legal Timeline
Angok arrived in Australia in 2005 at age nine on a refugee visa from South Sudan. His juvenile record includes violence, drug use, and non-compliance with police. Authorities revoked his visa while he was imprisoned. He completed his minimum sentence in 2017 and entered Villawood Detention Centre.
Angok appealed the visa cancellation, but the Administrative Appeals Tribunal rejected it in early 2019, citing the severity of his offense against a minor in a group. Taxpayers funded his detention for years prior to the escape.
MacSween’s Criticism
MacSween demanded swift action, stating, “He should be sent home tonight. Never to return. We have wasted so much money accommodating this bastard. Get him out of here.” She argued against allowing appeals for such offenders and blamed lax laws, security lapses, and government policies.
“Our ridiculous laws, pathetic security procedures and inept minister who is in hiding over this disgrace are all to blame,” MacSween said. She listed broader policy failures in immigration, energy, housing, and spending but emphasized deporting criminals like Angok immediately.
