The first man to be extradited from Indonesia to Australia on people smuggling charges could be out of prison in less than two years, after being jailed for a maximum of seven and a half years.
Iraqi-Iranian man Hadi Ahmadi, 35, was found guilty by a Perth jury on two counts of illegally assisting 562 asylum seekers to reach Australia on two boats in 2001.
Ahmadi, who has been recognised as a refugee by the UN High Commission for Refugees, twice tried to reach Australia by boat, but engine failure and a storm foiled those attempts.
He ended up assisting people smugglers, finding accommodation for asylum seekers, collecting fees and taking them by bus to beaches where boats were waiting to take them to Australian waters.
In the District Court on Friday, Judge Andrew Stavrianou sentenced Ahmadi to five years in prison for each count, but reduced the sentence to seven and a half years in total.
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Ahmadi will be eligible for parole in four years and has had his sentence back-dated to June 29, 2008, which means he could be out of prison by June 28, 2012.
Judge Stavrianou said Ahmadi had "little prospect of re-offending" but he had to give him a severe penalty to reflect the seriousness of the crime.
"You were not the primary organiser ... you were a middle man," he told Ahmadi.
But Judge Stavrianou said he had to sentence Ahmadi in a way that would deter other people smugglers from trying to bring people to Australia illegally.
He also noted that Ahmadi would be serving a prison sentence in a foreign prison which would be a "hardship" to him and his family, including his ailing mother and nine siblings.
On Thursday, defence lawyer Jonathan Davies pleaded with Judge Stavrianou to take into consideration Ahmadi's ill-health and limited involvement in people smuggling.
Mr Davies said there were "unusual factors" in Ahmadi's case, which Judge Stavrianou accepted.
Mr Davies said Ahmadi was likely to be deported after serving his non-parole period back to Iraq where he would be entitled to residency, but could not return to Iran.
Ahmadi has heart problems, very poor eyesight and "a degree" of depression, Mr Davies said.
"He has had a life of particular misfortune," he said.
Mr Davies said that although Ahmadi had originally pleaded not guilty to the charges, he was now remorseful for his participation in people smuggling.
