Asylum seeker, 29, who ‘snuck into Australia on a cargo ship’ is accused of posing as a Good Samaritan to help a struggling woman before ‘abducting and sexually assaulting her’
- Ajith Nirojan Veerasooriya, 29, is accused of abducting a woman he met
- The alleged victim had been attending a refugee help centre to collect groceries
- Veerasooriya is accused of sexually assaulting the woman in ‘harrowing attack’
- Court heard the accused man ‘snuck into Australia’ illegally on a shipping vessel
An illegal immigrant who snuck into Australia on a shipping vessel is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at an asylum seeker recourse centre.
Ajith Nirojan Veerasooriya, 29, is accused of abducting the woman and sexually assaulting her before dumping her at a train station in North Melbourne.
The alleged victim had been attending the Footscray refugee help centre in the city’s west to collect groceries and household items as her protection visa did not allow her to receive government benefits.
Ajith Nirojan Veerasooriya is accused of abducting the woman and sexually assaulting her before dumping her at a train station in North Melbourne
Veerasooriya allegedly preyed upon an older woman on a cold and rainy day. He is accused of sexually assaulting her
Police allege Veerasooriya sat next to the woman at lunch with a bowl of yogurt on August 29 last year and struck up a conversation before he found out that she had had a hard time getting to the centre from Broadmeadows on the train.
The 46-year old woman told police she felt comfortable with Veerasooriya because he was about the same age as her own son.
The mother of three accepted a ride, but soon came to regret her decision.
Veerasooriya, who arrived in Australia illegally in 2012 from Sri Lanka and secured a protection visa, allegedly took her phone and told her there would be no charge for the ride.
Ajith Nirojan Veerasooriya has been committed to stand trial at the County Court of Victoria
But the court heard he tried to take payment in other ways and continued to sexually assault her in a harrowing trip across Melbourne.
The woman recalled to police travelling through a tunnel, which was nowhere near where she needed to go.
Veerasooriya allegedly continued to sexually assault the hijab-wearing woman despite her begging him to stop.
At one point, she told police she contemplated jumping out of the moving vehicle as her mobile phone went flat.
Veerasooriya eventually dropped her off at North Melbourne station, allegedly shouting ‘f**k off’, and ‘Me petrol no sex’.
The woman was so distraught she wet herself.
Veerasooriya has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of sexual assault and will go to trial at the County County Court of Victoria.