Ex-Cricketer Stuart MacGill Avoids Jail with Community Service Sentence

Former Australian Test bowler Stuart MacGill was convicted of cocaine supply and sentenced to community service instead of jail. He played a key role in setting up a drug deal between his supplier and brother-in-law in 2021, leading to his kidnapping and eventual arrest in 2023.

Former Australian Test bowler Stuart MacGill has been spared incarceration, receiving a community service penalty instead after being found guilty of supplying cocaine. Appearing in court for sentencing, the ex-cricketer faced charges connected to a drug deal arranged between his known supplier and his brother-in-law in April 2021.

A Downing Centre District Court session revealed MacGill's one-year, 10-month intensive corrections order, incorporating 495 hours of community service and mandatory drug testing, as an alternative to direct imprisonment. Support from former Test captain Steve Waugh highlighted the mixed legacy of MacGill's career that spanned from 1988 to 2008.

A jury concluded MacGill's awareness of the transaction involving a significant cocaine quantity, though he was not found guilty of participating in a large-scale drug ring. His connection to the deal led to a violent abduction, after which MacGill approached the police but denied involvement. He was finally arrested in 2023.

(With inputs from agencies.)