Bali Nine drug dealer Scott Rush’s criminal record has revealed how long it has been since the then-teenager stole a Nintendo Gameboy in 2005.
Rush returned to Australia on December 15 after being released from a prison in Indonesia after a deal was reached between the two countries.
He handed himself in to Queensland Police on Monday a fortnight after his return to face historic charges he committed when he was 19.
With the support of his parents Lee and Christine, Rush faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to a string of offenses including fraud, receiving tainted property and entering premises.
He pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a motor vehicle and seven counts of entering a dwelling, all properties in the Brisbane area, in March 2005.
Upon entering the properties, Rush stole cash and various items, including jewellery, a hearing aid, a Nintendo GameBoy and Nokia mobile phones – symbolic items of early 2000s Australia.
He also pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property and failing to appear in court a month later in April 2005, and to defrauding Cash Converter twice in late 2004.
Rush committed most of the crimes while subject to a series of suspended prison sentences of between one and two months that were handed down in January 2005.
Scott Rush (pictured, center with remaining members of the Bali Nine) has been sentenced in a Queensland court for crimes he committed when he was just 19 years old.
At the time he was a drug addict, which months later led to his arrest in Bali and spending almost two decades in prison, the court heard.
Magistrate Patricia Kirkman-Scroope initially questioned why a 20-year-old man facing charges was appearing before a court that deals with late-night arrests.
“I thought the name looked familiar, but I didn’t make the connection,” Magistrate Kirkman-Scroope said.
The court heard Rush wanted to leave his past behind and make a valuable contribution to society.
His lawyer Terry Fisher added that his client received intensive counseling and completed self-improvement courses during his 19-year stay in prison in Indonesia.
Fisher Dore Lawyers consultant told the court Rush was committed to becoming a “valued contributor” to the community.
“Clearly, over a 20-year period, there will be plenty of time to do that,” Mr. Fisher said.
“He has insight and remorse for his previous conduct and what he has now committed to is reintegrating into Australian society.”
Scott Rush appears in a holding cell at Bali Police Headquarters in October 2005.
‘He was 19 years old when he went to Bali, he was arrested at the Bali airport with 1.3 kilograms as a drug courier.
‘He was not the main perpetrator. So, effectively, he had served 20 years in prison. He faced the death penalty from 2006 to 2011, which was later reduced to life in prison.
“A firing squad shot two of the Bali Nine, the two main ringleaders.”
Fisher also spoke about how Lee Rush’s attempt to help his drug-addicted son unintentionally led to him being imprisoned in Indonesia and facing the death penalty.
Rush told the Australian Federal Police he was suspicious of what his son was doing, and police promised to tell the then-teenager that he was under surveillance to prevent him from getting involved.
‘What happened is that they didn’t do that. And before leaving for Indonesia, the AFP notified the Indonesian authorities that there were Australians there, knowing full well that it was a death sentence,” Fisher explained.
Fisher asked the court if Rush could be convicted but not sentenced, pointing to the two decades he had already spent in prison.
Police prosecutor Matthew Bach agreed with the submission and Magistrate Kirkman-Scroope convicted Rush of 13 offences, but gave him no further punishment.
Scott Rush (center) is pictured with his parents Christine and Lee in Indonesia in 2006.
The period of execution of their suspended sentences was extended by two months.
Rush did not speak, but gave a thumbs up when asked what it felt like to be a free man outside the courtroom.
He was among five remaining Bali Nine prisoners transferred to Australia earlier this month. after the federal government reached an agreement with Indonesia.
In addition to Rush, Matthew Norman, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen and Michael Czugaj flew back to Australia on a commercial flight on a top-secret mission following weeks of negotiations between the two nations.
The news came after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese requested the transfer in a meeting with Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, at the APEC summit in November.
Subianto agreed to release the prisoners on humanitarian grounds.
Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, another of the Bali Nine drug mules who had collectively attempted to smuggle 8.7kg of heroin, died of stomach cancer behind bars in 2018.
Chan and Sukumaran were executed in 2015, while Renae Lawrence was freed after serving 13 years.