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Former leg-spinner Stuart MacGill was reportedly a frequent cocaine user when he facilitated a meeting between his supplier and another individual in April 2021.
The 54-year-old was aware that the transaction involved cocaine valued at $330,000, although he was not informed of the precise weight. He was told that the dealer required “a brick” of the substance.
A jury found the ex-cricketer guilty of participating in drug supply, leading to a sentence of a 22-month intensive corrections order along with a mandate to complete 495 hours of community service.
The case made a brief appearance in court today, where Registrar Peter Clayton remarked on MacGill’s decision to hire a prominent barrister known for his expertise.
Dominic Toomey SC, who assumed the rank of Senior Counsel in 2015, brings over 30 years of legal experience to the case.
A one-day appeal for MacGill’s challenge has been set for May 1.
In seeking to overturn his conviction, the ex-cricketer contends that evidence showing he had specific tendencies, including giving his dealer’s number to others, should never have been shown to the jury.
At trial, jurors were told the 54-year-old’s habit of handing out the number meant it was more likely he would engage in drug supply.
His challenge to his sentence claims Judge Nicole Noman erred when determining the exact quantity of drugs MacGill thought was being exchanged.
MacGill did not receive any of the $330,000 but had $1000 of drug debts wiped by his dealer.
The lucrative cocaine deal put him on the path to his assault in a dilapidated rural shed after his dealer stole two bricks of cocaine in a subsequent drug ripoff.
Once viewed as one of the world’s top spin bowlers, the now-54-year-old is on JobSeeker while working as a casual cricket coach.
He retired from cricket in 2008 after a career where he was forced to play second-fiddle to the sport’s greatest legspinner, Shane Warne, two years his senior.
MacGilll played 44 Tests, claiming 208 wickets at an average of 29.02.