A KIWI who escaped a jail sentence for coward-punching a teenager is about to be deported back to New Zealand.

Caleb Maraku, 19, walked from a Gold Coast court last month laughing and taking selfies with TV reporters after he was sentenced to 12-months probation and ordered to pay $361 for the sickening attack.

It is understood the teenager is now in an immigration facility and will be deported in the coming weeks.

Maraku and two of his friends were out in Surfers Paradise for Schoolies last year when the group attacked Taliesin O’Meara, also 19, in the early hours of November 27.

Maraku’s behaviour after he left the courthouse drew the ire of much of Australia.

However, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton believes the detention and imminent deportation of Maraku sends a strong message.

“If you come into invited into somebody’s home, it’s no different to being the residents of that house, you don’t start assaulting Australian citizens, you are shown the door,” he told Channel Nine.

Kerry Foley, a professional boxer from New South Wales, challenged the teenager to a physical charity fight and a petition calling for Maraku’s deportation amassed close to 50,000 signatures in less than a month.

The Australian Border Force also noticed — showing up to Maraku’s Gold Coast home under the cover of darkness to take him into custody and start the teenager’s deportation process.

“We can confirm that Mr Maraku was detained ... by the Australian Border Force, ahead of his removal from Australia,” an Australian Border Force spokesman said.

A Current Affairwas there with Border Force officers, filming his final moments of freedom on Australian soil and asking Maraku if he wanted to “smile for the cameras”.

But the handcuffed New Zealander wasn’t in the mood, as he faced the reality of deportation back to his country of birth, telling the reporter to “f**k off”.

Maraku has lived in Australia for six years but will now be sent back to New Zealand for good.

Taliesin O’Meara, the Gold Coast teenager who was hit by Maraku, was trying to help one of his female friends when the men assaulted him.

The assault was caught on video, and shows the victim backing away from the three boys after one of Maraku’s friends kicks him.

While Mr O’Meara is looking at the person who kicked him, Maraku punches him in the side of the head, knocking him out cold as he slams on to the pavement.

Maraku was charged with one count of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of contravention of a banning order. Following his sentence last month, the 19-year-old was slammed by the Australian public for his behaviour.

After Maraku was filmed smiling and laughing out the front of court, the victim’s mother Tasha Tadrew took to Facebook to express shock over the sentence.

“This is the low life that hit my son and is now walking away with a 12-month suspended sentence and laughing in the process,” she wrote.

“Where is the justice? For my son who is still suffering, for his family and friends that are still suffering? My heart is heaving and I am beyond furious … this is not OK. This is not what was meant to happen.”

Earlier this month, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was on Ray Hadley’s radio show when he received a call from a thankful father.

Brisbane dad Steve Miller lost his son Cole in 2016 when he was coward punched by a New Zealander Renata Armstrong in Fortitude Valley. Cole later died from his head injuries.

Armstrong was sentenced to seven years jail in October last year and his accomplice Daniel Maxwell was given an 18-month suspended sentence. Both men are from New Zealand.

When Mr Miller realised Maxwell had walked free from court, the grieving father put in a call to Mr Dutton’s office.

The Home Affairs Minister has taken a hard line tactic against foreigners committing crimes in Australia, deporting thousands of people for criminal offences.

“You get lots of criticism for the decisions we are making, and people attacking you, but we are doing the right thing,” he told Channel Nine.

“I believe very strongly that we are making our country a safer place.

“Let it be a very clear message who are coming to our country as a non-citizen. If you are coming here and you commit a crime you will be deported. That’s it.”

Mr Miller told the radio station he contacted Mr Dutton’s Canberra office and left a message for the Minister who called him back at 4.30pm the same day.

He said Mr Dutton immediately got on to Queensland Police and Border Force who had taken Maxwell into custody by 6.30pm that night and he was held for deportation to New Zealand.

“I’d like to thank Peter Dutton for that, he didn’t know me from a bar of soap,” Mr Miller told Hadley, before breaking down in tears.