Rapist ‘to beg for residency’

KIM WATERS
Geelong “silence of the lambs” rapist Leslie Cunliffe has 28 days to prove he should remain in Australia, according to Immigration and Citizenship Minister Chris Bowen.
Mr Bowen said he had told Cunliffe his visa would be cancelled if he failed to successfully argue his case against deportation to England.
“Mr Cunliffe has 28 days to respond to the notice and show cause as to why he should not have his visa cancelled and be removed from Australia and returned to his country of origin,” Mr Bowen said.
Mr Bowen agreed to review Cunliffe’s visa after community outrage at the 63-year-old leaving prison last month, three years before the end of his 15-year sentence.
“The notification follows my review of Mr Cunliffe’s case in regard to section 501 of the Migration Act, which requires all non-citizens to meet the character requirement in order to remain in Australia,” Mr Bowen said.
“Factors taken into account include all the relevant facts of Mr Cunliffe’s case, including any risks he presents to the community. Considerations include his criminal record, time served in prison, his age, his health, connections to Australia and the best interests of any children involved.”
Cunliffe was convicted of burglary, theft, larceny and receiving stolen goods over eight years before he sadistically raped a 21-year-old university student in Belmont during a botched extortion attempt in 1999.