CANBERRA: Former Australian Test cricketer Stuart MacGill has avoided a prison sentence after being found guilty of involvement in the supply of cocaine.
The 54-year-old was handed a 22-month intensive corrections order and ordered to complete 495 hours of community service on Friday.
Although MacGill pleaded not guilty, he admitted to using cocaine and to introducing his brother-in-law to his drug dealer, according to Australian broadcaster ABC.
Prosecutors claimed that the pair later arranged a deal for AU$330,000 (£159,000) worth of cocaine, though MacGill insisted his role was limited to facilitating the introduction in Sydney in April 2021.
Police investigation
The case came to light following a police investigation into MacGill’s claims that he had been abducted and assaulted in April 2021. Police said he sustained minor injuries but did not require hospital treatment.
A group of men was arrested a month later in connection with the alleged kidnapping. MacGill told officers he had been taken to a remote location, where he was threatened at gunpoint and physically assaulted.
MacGill, a leg-spinner who featured in 44 Test matches for Australia between 1998 and 2008, was officially charged in September 2023 with taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited substance.