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The hearing began with a rocky start due to a transportation delay, as Sailor’s train from Wollongong was late, causing him to arrive 15 minutes behind schedule.
“I apologize for my tardiness; the train was delayed. I’m genuinely sorry,” Sailor expressed to Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson.
Once the session got underway, Sailor’s circumstances took a positive turn. Magistrate Atkinson noted his significant progress since the incidents, highlighting that he had been on medication for several months to manage depression and alcoholism.
Consequently, the charges against him were dismissed under mental health legislation, and he was released into the care of his local physician.
Despite agreeing to dismiss the charges, Atkinson cautioned the former football star to maintain his current path of improvement.
“What is important is you actually doing something about where things are going,” Atkinson told Sailor.
The two drunken incidents that led to the charges had been a necessary wake-up call to prompt him to seek help, she said.
The former Wallabies player became agitated when talking to another man at a bar in Sydney’s city centre after 8.30pm on November 6, 2024, according to the agreed facts.
After the bar’s manager threatened to call police, Sailor replied: “Do you know who I am? You’re f—ing done.”
Police spoke to him outside the bar before he spotted the man whom he accused of trying to fight him and gave chase before being arrested, court documents state.
He was subsequently granted bail in May 2025 on conditions that included a prohibition on being intoxicated in public.
But the premiership-winning NRL star ignored the restriction when he went to a sports bar in Wollongong and drank a large volume of alcohol on December 5, 2025, according to the agreed facts.
Police were called after he became aggressive with a taxi driver and found Sailor stumbling and swaying in the middle of the road.
He smelled strongly of alcohol and was slurring his words as he abused officers, the agreed facts state.
Sailor resisted nine officers before eventually being taken into custody, where the agreed facts say he continued to be aggressive and hostile.
Speaking outside court, Sailor’s lawyer said he was satisfied with the result.
“My client’s very pleased with the outcome and his unblemished record remains intact,” Adam Houda said.
He also proved a prolific scorer during a four-year rugby union stint, crossing 13 times in 37 games for the Wallabies and earning a start in the 2003 World Cup final.
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