Cricket: Ex-Australian Spinner MacGill Escapes Prison In Drug Case

Former Australia cricketer Stuart MacGill has avoided jail after being found guilty of taking part in the supply of cocaine.

The 54-year-old was given a 22-month intensive corrections order and 495 hours of community service on Friday.

MacGill pleaded not guilty but had admitted to the use of cocaine and to introducing his brother-in-law to his drug dealer, Australian broadcaster ABC reported.

Prosecutors said that the pair later made a deal for 330,000 Australian dollars (£159,000) worth of cocaine but MacGill maintained that his involvement was limited to the introduction in Sydney in April 2021.

A police investigation began after MacGill claimed he had been abducted and beaten in April 2021.

MacGill sustained minor injuries in the incident but didn’t require medical care, police said.

A group of men were arrested one month later in connection with the abduction of MacGill, who told police he had been driven to a remote site where he was assaulted and threatened at gunpoint.

Spinner MacGill, who played 44 Test matches for Australia between 1998 and 2008, was charged with taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug in September 2023.

Bbc.com