‘I can't breathe': Michael Slater sentenced after vicious attacks and months of abuse

News.com.au

26-04-2025

Australian Test cricket star Michael Slater's tirade of alcohol-fuelled violence towards a woman - where he stalked, choked and assaulted her in a terrifying row - has been laid bare in court.
Once on top of the cricketing world, Mr Slater's disturbing fall from grace culminated in a jail term, where he was sentenced to four years in jail for the series of violent and horrific domestic violence offences.
But he was immediately released on a fully suspended sentence, having spent more than a year in pre-sentence custody.
The 55-year-old pleaded guilty to seven charges in Maroochydore District Court on Tuesday, including two counts of choking a woman, stalking, assault, and burglary.
The offences relate to repeated violent outbursts and controlling behaviour against a woman in the Noosa region between December 2023 and March 2024.
Court documents viewed by NewsWire revealed the extent of the abuse, which included physical assaults, threatening behaviour, stalking, and the non-consensual recording of intimate images.
In one of the violent incidents, on the night of December 10, 2023, the woman visited Slater at his home, where both had been drinking. As the evening wore on, Slater grew aggressive, lashing out over baseless suspicions that she had been with other men.
The situation escalated quickly when he took her phone and kicked her in the left thigh, causing her to collapse onto the ground.
Shortly after, while she was seated on the lounge, Slater leaned over her and pointed a finger in her face, berating her with slurs.
'You're out to ruin men's lives and put them in jail,' he said.
'You're a bitch, a slut. No wonder your ex hates you.'
He then wrapped both hands around her throat and began shaking her violently. The woman struggled to breathe as he squeezed, leaving her with visible bruising around her neck.
Slater then delivered a forceful blow to the left side of her face, sending her falling back into the lounge. The impact caused her ear to ring and her eye to swell immediately.
Terrified, she fled the house. When she returned home, she discovered that Slater had removed the SIM card from her phone.
She later said she was fearful of what he might do if she reported the abuse to police.
Just over two weeks later, on Boxing Day, the woman visited Slater at his residence, where the pair had again been drinking.
By around 6pm, Slater's emotional state had deteriorated dramatically. In a sudden outburst, he grabbed a bottle of vodka, lifted it above his head, and threatened her, yelling, 'I'll f--king kill you.'
The woman retreated to the laundry and tried to close the door to get away from him.
Slater forcefully slammed into the door, pushing her backwards into the washing machine. She felt immediate pain in her lower back. Slater then stormed into the room, placed both hands around her throat, and lifted her off the ground as he squeezed.
She struggled to breathe and pleaded, 'I can't breathe, let me go, you're really hurting me.'
The assault left her with bruising around her neck, and she later reported pain in her arms, back, and persistent headaches from the violent encounter.
The woman also endured relentless emotional abuse, with Slater bombarding her with hundreds of degrading and threatening text messages.
He repeatedly weaponised guilt and fear, threatening to kill himself if she ever went to police.
In one chilling message, he wrote, 'You f--king killed me,' and in another, he vowed to 'hang [his] skull at the front of [his] house.'
He also sent her a barrage of cruel insults, calling her a 'slut,' a 'dog,' and a 'stupid c--t,' while blaming her for his own violent behaviour.
In February 2024, the woman attended a sauna, where she noticed Slater had arrived at the same time.
He followed her into the sauna, sat beside her, and initiated a conversation. Uncomfortable, she moved to the cold plunge pool where two other women were present, but Slater followed, sat on the pool's edge, and remarked, 'This one needs to be held under the water for three minutes.'
He then propositioned her for sex in the toilet, to which she responded, 'You're absolutely kidding me, aren't you?'
Attempting to leave, she retrieved her belongings, but Slater stopped her at the exit and became angry over her rejection.
Slater's harassment escalated into sexual humiliation. He sent the woman intimate images and a sex video, both filmed without her knowledge or consent, and used them to shame, control and intimidate her.
On one occasion, he attached a photo and messaged her: 'This is how you turned up to my house.'
Other texts threatened exposure, with comments like 'Omg. The shit I've got on you … You're f--ked'.
The psychological torment continued well into 2024. On March 13, the woman received an alert on her phone from her home security system, notifying her that someone was at her front door.
When she looked up, she was horrified to see Slater standing outside her kitchen window. CCTV footage captured him banging furiously on the glass while screaming, 'F--k you, f--k you, where's your daughter, f--k you.'
A neighbour heard the commotion and walked over to the fence, witnessing Slater's violent outburst.
The footage reportedly showed him punching the kitchen window with his fist, shattering the glass and sending shards across the floor, all while yelling, 'Open the door! You have done this! F--king open the door!'
Moments later, Slater climbed through the broken window and entered the home, continuing to shout at the woman as he approached her inside.
Inside the house, Slater continued his tirade, yelling, 'I f--king will smash you. You f--king put me in jail. I don't give a f--k anymore. I f--king asked you to open the door and you disappeared.'
The incident was captured on the woman's security camera, and neighbours, alarmed by the shouting and smashing glass, contacted police.
At one point, Slater grabbed the woman by the arm while she was standing in the study. He then opened the fridge, poured himself a glass of wine, and continued to berate her, shouting, 'You are the biggest f--k-up. You are a maniac. You're f--king lying,' while demanding she prove she'd had dinner with her daughter that evening.
Police arrived about 15 minutes later and arrested him at the scene.
The woman told police she was terrified to report the abuse, emotionally drained by the defendant's relentless messages, and deeply distressed by the impact on her mental health and his repeated threats of suicide.
Judge Glen Cash sentenced Slater to four years' imprisonment, partially suspended after time served.
Before being released, Slater also had to finalise matters from April 2024 in the Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit and driving with cannabis in his system.