Latest news with #StuartMacGill
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Huge twist in trial of men accused of kidnapping, stripping and beating cricket great Stuart MacGill
One of the six men who had been charged with the alleged kidnapping of former Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill has had his charges dropped just before he was due to go to trial. In May, MacGill avoided jail time after a jury found him guilty of taking part in the supply of $330,000 worth of cocaine. The 54-year-old is serving a community sentence after the jury found him guilty of a lesser charge of supplying an indictable quantity of cocaine. However, the jury found him not guilty of taking part in a large commercial drug supply. MacGill had pleaded not guilty but admitted that he had introduced his partner's brother to his drug dealer, adding that he had not played a part in the drug deal. The jury later rejected that claim, with Judge Nicole Noman sentencing MacGill to an intensive corrections order which will span one year and 10 months. Judge Noman told the court that MacGill had played an indispensable role in facilitating the drug deal. 'His role was essential to bring the parties together and for the transaction to occur,' the judge said. The events that transpired later led to MacGill allegedly being kidnapped. A group of six men had been due to stand trial on Monday at the NSW District Court in Parramatta. The group included Frederick Schaaf, Richard Schaaf, Elijah Schaaf, Marino Sotiropoulos, Son Minh Nguyen and Vaeluagaomatagi Feilo. But the court heard on Monday that the Director of Public Prosecutions had chosen to withdraw the charges against Elijah Schaaf. Elijah Schaaf had pleaded not guilty to one count of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping. He also pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of being an accessory before the fact to take or detain in company with an intention to get an advantage. The other men have all pleaded not guilty to their alleged roles in the kidnapping. MacGill was alleged to have been kidnapped from outside his Cremorne apartment in April 2021. The former Australian cricketer was allegedly taken to a property at Bringelly. It is alleged he was assaulted and threatened with a gun. Alleged demands for money were also made. MacGill was allegedly held for an hour before he was released. The right-arm leg spinner played 44 Test matches and three ODI matches for Australia. He'd go on to take 208 wickets during his Test Career, while scoring 6038 runs. In his domestic career, he'd play for New South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Western Australia, taking 774 wickets before permanently retiring from cricket in 2012, after coming out of retirement to play for the Sydney Sixers for a season.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Twist in MacGill kidnapping trial
One of the men charged over the alleged kidnapping of Stuart MacGill has had his charges dropped at the 11th hour. The group of men — Frederick Schaaf, Richard Schaaf, Elijah Schaaf, Marino Sotiropoulos, Son Minh Nguyen and Vaeluagaomatagi Feilo — were due to face a trial in the NSW District Court at Parramatta starting on Monday. The trial dates were vacated last week due to a delay. The court heard on Monday that the Director of Public Prosecutions had withdrawn charges against Elijah Schaaf. He had pleaded not guilty to one count each of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping and being an accessory before fact to take/detain in company with intention to get an advantage. The other five men will now face trial which is anticipated to start either this week or next week, the court was told on Monday. All have pleaded not guilty over their alleged roles in kidnapping Mr MacGill from outside his Cremorne home in April, 2021. It is alleged MacGill was taken to a property at Bringelly, on Sydney's southwestern outskirts, where he was assaulted, threatened with a gun and demands were made for money. It has been alleged the incident was related to a drug deal gone wrong, the court has previously heard. MacGill was allegedly held for an hour before being driven to Belmore where he was released and allowed to get into a cab. Mr Sotiropoulos on Monday also pleaded not guilty to three counts of drug supply.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
Twist for one man alleged to have kidnapped Stuart MacGill
One of the men charged over the alleged kidnapping of Stuart MacGill has had his charges dropped at the 11th hour. The group of men — Frederick Schaaf, Richard Schaaf, Elijah Schaaf, Marino Sotiropoulos, Son Minh Nguyen and Vaeluagaomatagi Feilo — were due to face a trial in the NSW District Court at Parramatta starting on Monday. The trial dates were vacated last week due to a delay. The court heard on Monday that the Director of Public Prosecutions had withdrawn charges against Elijah Schaaf. He had pleaded not guilty to one count each of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping and being an accessory before fact to take/detain in company with intention to get an advantage. The other five men will now face trial which is anticipated to start either this week or next week, the court was told on Monday. All have pleaded not guilty over their alleged roles in kidnapping Mr MacGill from outside his Cremorne home in April, 2021. It is alleged MacGill was taken to a property at Bringelly, on Sydney's southwestern outskirts, where he was assaulted, threatened with a gun and demands were made for money. It has been alleged the incident was related to a drug deal gone wrong, the court has previously heard. MacGill was allegedly held for an hour before being driven to Belmore where he was released and allowed to get into a cab. Mr Sotiropoulos on Monday also pleaded not guilty to three counts of drug supply.
India Today
16-07-2025
- India Today
Stuart MacGill breaks silence on life after cocaine case: Jobless, worried for my kids
Former Australian spinner Stuart MacGill has spoken about the toll his recent legal troubles have taken on his life, admitting he has struggled to find work and is deeply concerned about how his legal ordeal has affected his children. The 54-year-old, once known for his clever and sharp leg spin, says his life has changed drastically since the case came to May, MacGill was found guilty of supplying an indictable quantity of cocaine, though he was cleared of involvement in a large commercial drug then, he has remained isolated and unable to return to continued work. He described how the situation has affected his daily routine and mental health: "I don't open the curtains too much," he told the Howie Games podcast. "I am very lucky because depression has never been a big thing for me. I get anxious. I won't lie about that. I get very anxious." The veteran leg spinner, who has scalped 208 Test wickets for his nation, reflected on how he's trying to stay strong by leaning on coping methods from his playing days. "If anything particularly bothers me, I just don't think about it, I learned that through playing Test cricket," he Australian star cricketer admitted the hardest part has been seeing the impact on his family, especially his children. "My kids have had to put up with it. I can just turn the media off but it is very difficult for kids to turn social media off.""I don't care what people are saying about me, but I do care what was happening to the kids and I know it has been very difficult for them."While he has managed to stay involved with cricket through coaching, MacGill admits he's found it tough being mostly unemployed. "I'm doing my coaching but other than that I'm not really working much, which is a pain. I have a pretty active mind and trying to shut that off is hard work," he former New South Wales player added that he often feels lonely and has scaled back his social circle in recent years. "My network used to be a big part of who I was," he said. "I knew a lot of people and I have closed that right down since I have needed to manage my own environment a little bit more carefully.""People talk about the half-full half-empty situation - well, I've always said I'm neither of them, I'm completely empty," said MacGill about his mental struggles. "And the reason I say that is because if today is the worst day of your life, tomorrow is going to be slightly fuller."Despite everything, he remains quietly determined. MacGill is doing his best to move forward, day by day. While life may not look the same as it once did, he's holding onto small wins, staying close to the game that gave him respect and recognition, and trying to rebuild on his own terms. For now, he's focused on protecting his peace, supporting his kids, and hoping brighter days lie ahead.- Ends
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Stuart MacGill spills beans on Shane Warne myth as cricketer breaks silence
Stuart MacGill has debunked the theory Shane Warne blocked him from having a full Test career. In a tell-all interview on the Howie Games podcast, MacGill has broken his silence after his life fell apart following a very public fall from grace. MacGill in May walked free from court after he was spared jail over his role in facilitating a $330,000 drug deal. Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. The 54-year-old has now shared the highs and lows of his rollercoaster career as he attempts to rebuild his once high-flying life. One of his most note-worthy admissions surrounds his relationship with Spin King Warne. He told host Mark Howard his own talents were only recognised because Warne put leg spin bowling on the map after decades of fast-bowling dominance. 'Shane was so incredibly effective, he just didn't bowl bad balls — I did,' MacGill said on The Howie Games. 'He worked on trapping the batsmen in the crease. I worked on getting them to try and score from me. 'I had lunch with Ian Chappell recently and he said if ever there were two wrist spinners who could play together it was you two because you tried to do different things.'' MacGill went on to joke: 'I was feeding off him. I'm like a little parasite'. MacGill had previously opened up about his relationship with Warne in an emotional column for Code Sports where he honoured his former teammate following his death at the age of 52. MacGill wrote it had been an 'absolute pleasure' to live his own career in Warne's shadow. One of his few regrets is that he was only able to play alongside Warne 16 times during his career of 44 Tests and 208 wickets. He holds no grudges or even second thoughts about constantly being asked what he believes his career could have been if not for Warne taking centre stage. 'Whether or not I was effective during my time in the Test team is irrelevant, in my opinion,' he said. 'What is most significant is that fact that the opportunity in the first place only came about because of Shane's effectiveness.' MacGill re-building life after drug deal According to NSW Police, MacGill was allegedly abducted and held at gun point when a drug deal went south. MacGill was earlier this year found guilty by a jury of helping to set up, and being present at, a meeting between his partner's brother and a street-level drug dealer underneath his Neutral Bay restaurant in April 2021. MacGill had claimed he simply introduced the drug dealer, who can only be known as Person A, and his brother-in-law and played no part in a later drug deal. However, that version of events was rejected by the jury during his eight-day trial. Judge Nicole Noman sentenced MacGill to a one-year-and-10-month intensive corrections order – to be served in the community – and ordered him to perform 495 hours of community service. MacGill was in March found guilty by a jury of one count of taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug. He was found not guilty of the more serious charge of taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug. Noman said in sentencing: 'The offender's colossal lapse of judgment has been causative of a very public fall from grace'. Speaking on the podcast, MacGill admits he hit rock bottom and has days where he 'doesn't want to open the curtains'. 'If you hit rock bottom there is sunshine ahead,' MacGill said. 'If anything particularly bothers me I just don't think about it. I learned that through playing Test cricket. 'If you have a bad day don't buy a paper. If you have a good day buy every paper in the stand.''
