An African illegal immigrant convicted gang rapist has been on the loose in western Sydney for more than 24 hours after fleeing custody, and police are warning members of the public not to approach him.
Michael Angok, 30, was being transported from Villawood Immigration Detention Centre to Bankstown Hospital when he escaped at about 9.30am on Wednesday.
Angok was jailed for just two years in 2016 after being convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a 14-year-old Pacific Islander girl in Doonside, has a long history of violence and drug use, and had an appeal against his visa cancellation rejected by a tribunal in 2019.
The 2014 sexual assault, which also involved four other Sudanese males, sparked racial tensions between the African and Pacific Islander communities in the suburb at the time, and led to an African youth being hospitalised with severe groin injuries inflicted in a retaliatory attack.
One of Angok’s co-accused was a member of a local African gang called “Alliance of all niggas” or the Blackdannas as they wore black bandannas.
Detective Superintendent Brett Van Akker said on Thursday afternoon Angok was “well known” to police and confirmed he was awaiting deportation.
He also said the public were not notified for more than 24 hours in order to avoid causing unnecessary alarm or compromising the search.
NSW Police said in a statement earlier that officers established a perimeter with the assistance of specialist units including including anti-gang Raptor squad, PolAir and the Dog Unit after Angok ran off.
A number of Angok’s personal items were found discarded on Gallipoli Road, but he could not be found.
“Michael is described as being of African appearance, about 175cm to 180cm tall, of thin build with short black hair,” police said.
“He was last seen wearing a black hooded jumper, grey tracksuit pants and white ‘croc’ sandals.
“Michael previously resided in the Blacktown area and may utilise the public transport network.”
The incident comes after a Tongan detainee stabbed two officers and escaped while being taken from the same detention centre to the airport for deportation in May last year.
American private prison operator Management and Training Corporation (MTC) and its subsidiary Secure Journeys took over management of Australia’s onshore detention centre system from trouble-plagued UK giant Serco on a $2.3 billion five-year contract just weeks before that escape.
MTC has faced allegations of major security failures and misconduct while running private prisons, including that a US citizen was wrongly held in solitary confinement for 14 months, that a woman was gang-raped in detention, and that two retirees were murdered by escaped prisoners.
The United Workers Union said at the time it had concerns about MTC staffing levels and that there had been “significant changes” to how the detention centre network’s transportation system was staffed and operated.
Header image: Michael Angok (NSW Police).
