6 days ago
Former Fremantle Docker Ryan Crowley faces court on choking, deprivation of liberty charges
Former Fremantle Dockers player Ryan Crowley has appeared in a Perth court charged with multiple violent offences including assault and deprivation of liberty.
It is alleged Mr Crowley choked and threatened a woman in the western Perth suburb of Claremont this week.
The 41-year-old is facing nine charges including impeding the woman's breathing by applying pressure to her neck, making threats, unlawfully using a computer and deprivation of liberty in circumstances of aggravation.
The police prosecutor told Perth Magistrates Court the alleged offending was "too serious for bail".
He handed photos of the woman's alleged injuries to Magistrate Adam Hills-Wright, telling the court of bruising on her chest and her nail being "ripped off a finger".
However, Mr Crowley's lawyer said his client would dispute the level of contact with the alleged victim.
Magistrate Hills-Wright said Mr Crowley had "no relevant record" and it was likely there would be a "significant period of time" before trial.
He said it was too early to determine how strong the case may be.
Mr Crowley was granted bail under strict conditions, which include reporting to police twice a week and not leaving the state.
He cannot go near the alleged victim, who the court was told lived interstate but was a "frequent visitor" to WA.
Mr Crowley was ordered to provide a $20,000 personal undertaking and the same amount in surety.
He is next scheduled to appear in court in July.
Mr Crowley played 188 games for the Dockers between 2003 and 2015, including the 2013 grand final which Fremantle lost to Hawthorn.
He was routinely used as a tagger, trying to limit the influence of the opposition's most dangerous midfielder.
In 2015 he was suspended for 12 months by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal after he tested positive to a "specified" substance the previous year.
At a media conference, then Fremantle CEO Steve Rosich confirmed the substance was contained in a painkiller which had not been not prescribed by a Fremantle doctor.
He was later recruited by Essendon to help the club field a side while 34 of its players were suspended for the year, following its infamous supplements scandal.
