Australia kicks out criminal Irishman

Authorities in Australia have deported a Northern Irishman after discovering he had an extensive criminal history.

The man, 28, arrived in the country on January 2013 on a working holiday visa without disclosing his criminal background which, among other things, included possession of bomb-making equipment and drugs.

Authorities only learnt of his criminal past after he overstayed his visa, and after carrying out a thorough background check, located and arrested him before ordering his deportation.

Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton noted that the fact the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been thrown out the country after failing to disclose his criminal past should be a warning to others who intended to hide their background when applying for Australian visas.

He insisted that Australia would never be a place where criminals could go to avoid charges in their homelands, pointing out that one of his priorities in his role was to remove non-Australian criminals. He added that those who did not uphold Australian values or stay in line with the law were not welcome in the country.

The Department of Immigration said it had no record of the man carrying out criminal activities in Australia, aside not disclosing his background and overstaying his visa.