Former Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill spared jail time over supplying cocaine

NEW DELHI: Stuart MacGill, the former Australian Test bowler, received a community service order instead of imprisonment when he appeared for sentencing regarding cocaine supply charges on Friday.The court proceedings at Downing Centre District Court included a supporting statement from former Test captain Steve Waugh. MacGill was found guilty of facilitating a drug transaction between his supplier and brother-in-law in April 2021.The court mandated an intensive corrections order spanning one year and 10 months.The order requires MacGill to complete 495 hours of community service and undergo regular drug testing, avoiding imprisonment.The 54-year-old former cricketer, who developed a cocaine habit post-retirement, was convicted in March for supplying an indictable quantity of the substance. The jury concluded that whilst MacGill was aware of the transaction, he remained unaware of the one-kilogram quantity involved. He was cleared of involvement in large-scale commercial drug supply.Following the cocaine transaction, MacGill experienced a violent kidnapping. Assailants forced him into a vehicle, transported him to an abandoned structure in Sydney's western suburbs, where he endured assault and threats before being released.Although MacGill reported the incident to authorities six days later, he denied involvement in the drug transaction. Authorities arrested him in 2023.On Friday, Judge Nicole Noman stated MacGill's crucial role in orchestrating the cocaine transaction. "His role was essential to bring the parties together and for the transaction to occur," she said. "The offender's colossal lapse of judgment has been causative of a very public fall from grace."MacGill's international cricket career, spanning 1988 to 2008, yielded 208 wickets in 44 Test matches. His achievements were often eclipsed by fellow Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, who ranks second in Test cricket's all-time wicket-taking list.