A Chinese illegal immigrant who taunted Australian immigration authorities with audacious e-mails challenging them to track him down, has been caught and faces deportation to the mainland.
The man, who cannot be named under Australian privacy laws, sent e-mails to Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone describing her as 'stupid' and challenging her officials to 'catch me if you can'.
After overstaying his visitor's visa four years ago, the man went to ground but started sending the e-mails in December.
In one he wrote: 'I want to say Merry Christmas to you. And I hope you give [me] a PR [permanent residency] visa. Catch me if you can.'
Another message read: 'You will be surprised that I am still in Australia. You are stupid. I [gave] so much information to you.' His taunts were apparently inspired by the film Catch Me if You Can, which portrayed a young American super-conman.
The man's provocative taunts finally proved his undoing. Immigration officials used the information he provided to track him down to Port Macquarie, a coastal town north of Sydney.