Source : ABC NEWS
Former Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill has avoided jail after being found guilty of taking part in the supply of cocaine in Sydney.
The 54-year-old faced trial over allegations he participated in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, over an April 2021 introduction he made between his cocaine dealer and his partner’s brother, Marino Sotiropoulos.
On the Crown’s case, the introduction amounted to setting up a drug supply because the dealer and Mr Sotiropoulos allegedly went on to organise a $330,000 deal for 1 kilogram of cocaine.
A jury in the NSW District Court heard that while MacGill’s involvement was limited to the introduction, the dealer also took part in two other alleged supplies, including one in which he handed over a vacuum-sealed bag of A4 paper instead of cash to Mr Sotiropoulos’s associates.
The jury found MacGill guilty of knowingly taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug, without the large commercial supply element.
On Friday, Judge Nicole Noman sentenced MacGill to a one year-and-10-month intensive corrections order and almost 500 hours of community service.
Judge Noman said his testimony was “implausible” and “devoid of candour”.
Speaking outside the court, MacGill’s barrister Thos Hodgson said the former cricketer’s legal team would consider whether to appeal both the conviction and the sentence.
However, he described the sentence as a win “of sorts”.
Loading
