Kerem Bulut could have been the next Harry Kewell - but instead he's spent years in jail after he fell into a life of petty crime and meth addiction
Kerem Bulut seemed to have the footballing world at his nimble feet until he was caught using cocaine in 2018, but more than three years after vowing to get himself off meth, he's still behind bars.
Since 2020, he has been prosecuted in courts across Sydney for a string of offences under the names Kerem Bulut, Karem Bulut, Kerim Bulut, Keiran Bulut and Kerim Bulet.
The 33-year-old most recently pleaded guilty to demanding property by force while in company at Downing Centre District Court in June and will face a sentencing hearing later this month.
The one-time A-League cult hero with Western Sydney Wanderers was living in a notorious inner-city public housing block when he was arrested in September 2023.
Bulut initially pleaded not guilty to a robbery charge which related to the theft of cash and luxury goods including a Louis Vuitton wallet and Fendi jumper from a man in the city's eastern suburbs.
That arrest came 15 months after Bulut had begged a magistrate for help overcoming an ice addiction he said began in jail.
Before his downfall, Bulut had been considered a potential successor to Socceroos legends Tim Cahill or Harry Kewell who would ultimately fill the goal-scoring gap left in the national team by their retirement.
The gun striker played for the Australian U17, U20 and U23 sides before securing European contracts with clubs in Germany, Greece and Turkey, as well as his two stints with the Wanderers.
But Bulut's life began to publicly unravel in October 2018 when he was banned from football for four years after being caught using cocaine while playing professionally in Turkey.
Upon his return to Australia, Bulut was arrested over a series of offences and eventually found himself at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater.
In June 2019, Bulut told the Daily Mail he was 'trying to put everything behind me and move forward' as he appealed his drug ban in an attempt to return to the football field.
Bulut vowed he had finished with drugs and was even considering having his trademark teardrop face tattoos removed.
'I am sick of the bad boy image,' he told Fox Sports at the time.
Two years into his drug ban in May 2020, Bulut opened up about his personal struggles, saying he was close to breaking point.
'I don't know if I can last any longer,' he told The Sydney Morning Herald. 'I try not to break because if I break, that will be it.
'You have to show your face to your family, friends and the people who look at you. You let a lot of people down.
'My biggest enemy and my biggest problem is myself.'
Bulut still has his face tattoos and has sometimes been disruptive during his latest stint in jail.
In August 2020, Bulut was convicted in Burwood Local Court for breaching a conditional release order imposed for behaving in an offensive manner, and sentenced to another two-year CRO.
At the same time he was placed on a third CRO for two years for stalking, destroying or damaging property and contravening an apprehended violence order.
Bulut was also sentenced to eight months in prison, to be served by way of intensive correction order for common assault and made the subject of a two-year AVO.
In January the next year, Bulut was convicted and fined $600 for possessing a prescribed restricted substance after he failed to appear at Sutherland Local Court.
In November 2021, he was convicted and fined $330 for using offensive language by a magistrate at Sutherland Local Court.
Two months later Bulut was behind bars on charges of wielding a knife in a public place, having breached the community correction order for contravening an AVO and destroying or damaging property.
In May 2022 he was jailed for a minimum of four months, backdated to January, and fined $600 for those three offences after facing Central Local Court.
That non-parole period had barely expired when, in July 2022, Bulut was sentenced to a year's imprisonment for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
That sentence was again to be served as an intensive correction order with the condition that he perform 80 hours of community service work and undergo an anger management course.
The previous month Bulut had breached his bail conditions by using ice while awaiting various court appearances.
When Bulut appeared in Parramatta Bail Court over the breach, he pleaded with magistrate Eve Wynhausen not to be sent back to jail.
'I wasn't aware of my bail conditions,' Bulut said. 'I thought I was just on parole, but there's still no excuse.
'I came out of jail with a drug problem... I don't think going back to jail is the best thing for me. I need to be out there and on top of my drug problem.'
Ms Wynhausen allowed Bulut to remain at liberty under conditions including that he live with his father and stepmother at Woolloomooloo, abstain from alcohol and drugs, and follow a 9pm-7am curfew.
In July 2022, Bulut was also charged with intimidating his father Suleyman Bulut and stepmother Nicola Papadopoulos at their home.
Those charges, which Bulut was set to defend, were finally withdrawn in January 2023 when a hearing could not go ahead because police were unable to tender any evidence.
Downing Centre Local Court heard a mistake on the police computer system listed the matter for mention rather than hearing.
While Bulut's father had told police he would not be assisting the prosecution, his stepmother was willing to give evidence but could not do so at short notice.
Bulut was taken back into custody on September 11, 2023 when he was charged with aggravated robbery and robbery in company.
At the time Bulut listed his address as the Northcott public housing estate in Belvoir Street, Surry Hills - known locally 'Suicide Towers'.
Police alleged Bulut was one of three offenders who robbed a man of $2,100 in cash, a blue Louis Vuitton wallet, blue Fendi jumper and Bose speaker at South Coogee.
In June 2019, Bulut told the Daily Mail he was 'trying to put everything behind me and move forward' as he appealed his drug ban in an attempt to return to the football field
The offences were said to have occurred between 11.30pm on August 31 and 3am on September 1 that year and originally included an allegation Bulut had inflicted actual bodily harm on the man.
Bulut pleaded guilty to demanding property by force while in company at Downing Centre District Court on June 12 and will face a sentencing hearing later this month.
He will also face sentencing for an offence of larceny, while the charge of robbery in company will not proceed on the indictment.
Bulut was remanded in custody at the time of his arrest until bail was granted under extremely strict conditions in October 2024. His bail was revoked a month later.
In May this year, Bulut had two charges of contravening a restraining order and one of stalking dismissed in Downing Centre Local Court.
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