headline

Andy wanted to call Australia home. Instead he was accused of crimes he ‘didn’t commit’

Exclusive: Dawn Cook thought what happened to her and husband Andy four years ago was a one-off nightmare.

Then she read Shannon Smith's story and realised she was wrong.

Dawn and Andy emigrated from the UK to Australia in 2009 and secured permanent residency the following year.

READ MORE: Shannon's visa hangs in the balance over crimes she 'didn't commit'

Andy and Dawn Cook built a life in Australia, only to have it threatened by a shocking police check.

They built a life here and applied for citizenship in 2021, which involved getting a police check.

Dawn's came back all clear; Andy's was a different story.

"We were told he had an alias and had committed a string of crimes [including] larceny, drug trafficking, car crimes, and weapon crimes," Dawn told 9news.com.au.

Andy's citizenship application was immediately put on hold.

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at Google Play.