A woman raped by a failed asylum seeker who was first issued a deportation order in 1999 has spoken out in the hope of bringing comfort to others in a similar situation – and has told the man he has not ruined her life.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told 1News she has decided to share her story as she doesn’t “want people to live in a country where this sort of thing is allowed”.
She added: “I hope that it brings a level of comfort to others who were potentially hurt by this man, or didn’t get to take their own abuser to court.”
Amir Mohebbi, an Iranian asylum seeker who has several previous convictions and has been fighting his deportation for decades, was today sentenced to eight years in prison at the Auckland District Court on five charges, including rape, unlawful sexual connection and threatening to kill.
Read more about Mohebbi and his decades of offending and battling deportation here.
Warning: This story covers issues of sexual assault which may be upsetting to readers.
It was a chilly winter afternoon in June 2021, when the woman, who 1News will refer to as Sarah, decided to head to a popular Auckland bar with a group of friends.
But what was meant to be a fun outing, would instead change her life forever.
“It all kind of turned to custard from there. Nothing will ever be the same for me again,” she said.
Sarah recalls having three rounds of drinks before her memory started to fade. She eventually “blacked out”.
It’s understood she left the bar alone at 4:30pm.
Hours later, she remembers waking up in a strange apartment building, with an unknown man standing over her.
“I didn’t know where I was. There was an older 40 to 50-year-old Middle Eastern man that I’d never seen in my life, towering over me and my clothes had been taken off,” she recounted.
She said she was sexually assaulted and raped as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
The woman, who was attacked in a central Auckland apartment, has said she wants to give comfort to others in similar circumstances. (Source: 1News)
“The first time I woke up, first of all I remember everything was off except for my underwear. Then the second time I woke up, I was completely naked and this man was raping me.
“I had no way of moving… I couldn’t do anything.”
She pleaded for her life before fleeing the apartment in the Auckland CBD. The court believes she was at Amir Mohebbi’s apartment for just over an hour.
“The conditions of me leaving were that I could not tell anyone, or I would be murdered. He would come after me.”
Sarah decided to tell her family and notify police. DNA testing of her underwear eventually led them to Amir Hoshang Mohebbi, a failed asylum seeker, who Immigration New Zealand first tried to deport more than 25 years ago.
He was on parole for meth charges at the time of the offending.
Deportation battle
Mohebbi first arrived in New Zealand from Iran in 1997 with no documentation, seeking refugee status following his conversion to Christianity.
His claim for asylum was declined by Immigration New Zealand the following year, with an appeal also dismissed.
However, in September 1999, he was granted a temporary work visa after marrying a local woman.
The following year, he was convicted of making a false oath when arriving in New Zealand and of bigamy, as his previous marriage in Iran had not been legally dissolved.
When his work visa expired in 2001, a further visa application was declined, due to his second wife withdrawing her sponsorship. That led to Mohebbi being classified as an “overstayer”.
In 2003, now with a new partner and a child, he was served a further removal order and taken into custody.
His battle with authorities has continued ever since and he faces another appearance before the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (IPT) in July.
Immigration lawyer Simon Laurent said: “At that point I would say that he has a challenge to succeed at the deportation hearing that’s coming up.”
An IPT hearing date had initially been scheduled for earlier this year, but was postponed until after his sentencing for sex crimes.
Sarah told 1News she’s started to question whether New Zealand let her down.
“The way that I see it is, there are two people to hold accountable here, Amir Mohebbi obviously foremost, but what’s NZ Immigration got to say about this, because he’s still here.”
Sharing her victim impact statement in court today she said: “I have not felt safe in New Zealand since the incident.
“I struggle to exist in Auckland without constant triggers. Every time I head into the city or drive to therapy… I see the Nelson Street off-ramp and I’m right back there, stuck in that room, unable to move.”
She says she can’t drive around the city without locking her doors, doesn’t go out with friends anymore, and doesn’t go on dates as she can’t trust men.
‘You did not ruin me’
Throughout the whole time Sarah was reading her statement, Mohebbi stood in the dock covering his face.
“Though the world has continued to spin, on the 27th of June, 2021, you made my life come to a halt,” she said. “I don’t know how one can quantify an appropriate sentence for someone who has taken so much.”
She told him, he’s “messed with the wrong woman”.
“I hope you feel as small and terrified as you have made me feel. Now you’re the helpless one. Guilty of the crime I’m sure you were confident that you would get away with.”
She said to Mohebbi that while he thought he’d silenced her with a threat to her life that day in June 2021, she was raised to speak up.
“Although the damage you did to me had truly been done, I kept fighting to ensure you could not hurt anyone else.”
She detailed the pain she’s lived with since he attacked her, and how at times she’s felt there was no way out but to take her own life.
“You made my everyday a living hell. It felt like I was the one in jail.
“I’ve been unwell with post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder post the event.
“You made me question my spirituality. I didn’t understand why such a terrible thing could happen, but then I realized that God is not to blame for what happened. You are.
“God has been here all along, helping me bring you to justice.”
She told her rapist: “I want you to know you did not ruin me. I stand tall now and I’ve stood tall throughout. Every time you knocked me down, I got back up. I have made the best of the worst situation.
“But what gives me the most solace is that the final judgment your face will be from God. I will try and forgive you, not because you’re worthy or deserving of it. One day I want to forgive you because I have no interest in carrying around all this hurt, grief and anger wherever I go.”
She said she hopes Mohebbi spends the rest of his life learning to find respect for women.
‘This is a complex case’
Despite Sarah’s criticism of Immigration NZ, in a statement it’s National Manager of Compliance Fadia Mudafar said, “This is a complex case”.
“Amir Mohebbi has held a permanent resident visa since 2012. He is currently liable for deportation under Section 161 of the Immigration Act 2009, following two convictions for importing methamphetamine.
She said Mohebbi was served a Deportation Liability Notice on 15 July 2021, but appealed against his liability for deportation to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (IPT).
It initially upheld his deportation, but defendant then appealed the IPT’s decision to the High Court, which referred the matter back to the IPT for reconsideration.
“That process is currently ongoing,” Mudafar said.
“Amir Mohebbi has resisted all attempts to deport him from in New Zealand, including by refusing to cooperate with immigration authorities or secure a travel document. He is currently exercising his lawful right to appeal against deportation, as he is entitled to do so.
“Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is unable to lawfully deport Mohebbi while his appeal is under consideration by the IPT.”
