Cricket News
Former Australian cricketer Michael Slater pleads court to withdraw charges of domestic violence
Michael Slater was charged with two counts of assaulting a 36-year-old patient at the Northern Beaches Hospital in July of this year.
After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, former Australia cricketer Michael Slater is attempting to have his assault and intimidation charges dropped. His plea is said to be being heard at Manly Local Court. Slater was charged with two counts of assaulting a 36-year-old patient at the Northern Beaches Hospital in July of this year.
The ex-Aussie batter allegedly intimidated the patient, which is why these charges were brought against him. Slater was accused of violating a restraining order issued by the court to protect the life of the involved woman, a Freshwater resident.
In the months that followed, he attempted to email, text, and call her more than 100 times in violation of a court order. Magistrate Robyn Denes denied an application to dismiss the case on mental health grounds, which was granted by another court in April for charges against a different woman.
She stated that the offending included elements of domestic violence crimes, such as accusations of infidelity, demands to see phones, restrictions on who the woman could meet and speak with, and threats of self-harm. “It’s all controlling behaviour,” the magistrate said.
“Threats of self-harm can be viewed as controlling and intimidating conduct, making the other person responsible for the acts of the offender,” she added.
He is very clearly debilitated by a medical condition: Michael Slater’s Lawyer
Slater then pleaded guilty to the charges and asked to be spared a conviction through his lawyer. “He has no prior convictions, he was a person who, at one time, in that point was able to muster the strength for the very high level of focus an opening batsman in test cricket must have. He is very clearly debilitated by a medical condition,” barrister John Agius SC said.
It should be noted that Michael Slater was granted medical bail in April of this year. He was also exonerated of domestic violence charges that were brought against him after he complained of mental health issues. Even though the cricketer-turned-commentator had previously been granted bail on medical grounds, he found himself in hot water again when he broke the law.
