Two men deported from Australia after serving time in prison have appeared in court on an aggravated robbery charge a year after their return.
Jesse Singh and Shaun Barney made a brief appearance in the Auckland District Court today.
The pair were deported from Australia in October last year.
They told the court they did not spend time in detention but had both been jailed, Mr Barney for assault and Mr Singh for theft.
Mr Barney said he had been in Australia for 22 years and had two children there and he had no connections in New Zealand.
Mr Singh said he had been Australia for 10 years and had a small network of family and friends here.
Both men said they arrived in Auckland with no money but were given $350 each by Work and Income and put up for four nights in a hotel.
Prisoner Aid and Rehabilitation Service found them jobs and accommodation.
Mr Barney said he went straight into that accommodation after his four nights at the hotel. Mr Singh said he stayed a couple of nights with a family friend and then Prisoner Aid also found him accommodation
The incident they are charged with happened on 18 October this year in High Street, Auckland.
They have been remanded in custody until their next appearance in February.
Mr Singh has applied for bail and that will be heard next week.
