An ‘acutely unwell’ man arrested for allegedly breaching curfew conditions after being released from immigration detention following a High Court ruling has been granted bail to attend a Melbourne hospital.
Temesgen Tsegay Gebreyonas, 36, was arrested on 8 December for allegedly breaching the curfew conditions of his temporary visa.
He was one of about 150 detainees released into the community in November following the High Court’s landmark ruling that indefinite immigration detention was unlawful.
Gebreyonas faced the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday via video link from prison, where his lawyer Amy Brennan applied for bail on the grounds of his deteriorating mental health.
She told the court he had been “acutely unwell and trying to navigate a new and complicated system” since his release from custody and subsequent arrest.
The prosecution sought to attach bail conditions, including that he wear an electronic monitoring device, abide by a curfew and have a fixed address, despite these requirements already being attached to his bridging visa.
“The defendant was released from immigration detention and within two weeks he’s breached one of the visa conditions,” the prosecutor told the court.
“This shows that the accused has a tendency to disobey certain orders.”
The judge granted Gebreyonas bail to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for a mental health assessment and ordered him to comply with the terms of his visa.
“You will be released and taken to hospital today and you must remain there for as long as the hospital staff say,” the magistrate told Gebreyonas.
He is due back in court on 25 January.
