Jamil Hopoate walks free from jail after working as prison sweeper

Off-contract NRL player Jamil Hopoate has walked free from jail — where he was working as a sweeper while on remand — almost two weeks after being granted bail over commercial drug supply.

Off-contract NRL player Jamil Hopoate has walked free from jail — where he was working as a sweeper while on remand — almost two weeks after being granted bail over commercial drug supply.

The son of former footy bad boy John Hopoate was first taken into custody after being arrested over allegedly accessing a truck linked to a massive 514kg cocaine shipment at Sydney’s Port Botany in May.

Hopoate’s partner, Shae Beathe, posted a photo on her Instagram on Tuesday night that showed a man carrying his personal belongings in a plastic bag on a suburban street with the caption: “And he’s home … amen”.

Authorities confirmed on Wednesday morning Hopoate had been released on Tuesday night.

He has been working as a sweeper while on remand at Parklea Correctional Centre in Sydney‘s west.

A sweeper is an inmate who undertakes paid domestic tasks in a certain wing of a jail including cleaning and administration duties.

Jamil Hopoate is out on bail, with his girlfriend Shae Beathe declaring on social media "And he's home … Amen".

The role is usually given to inmates with good communication skills and those who can be trusted with some responsibility.

Inmates who do jobs while in prison in NSW receive a weekly wage that ranges from $25 up to $70.

It comes as Hopoate is due to appear in Central Local Court on Thursday to be sentenced over domestic violence offences against Ms Beathe last year.

He previously had admitted to two charges of common assault over allegations he struck her in the carpark of Club Panthers in Port Macquarie on December 28, 2020.

Hopoate failed to land any new NRL deal after his contract with the Broncos expired at the end of last season and the incident with Ms Beathe was said to have caused him to lose any chance he had of joining a Sydney-based club.

Jamil Hopoate and Shae Beathe at a Brisbane Broncos Season Launch cocktail party in 2020. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Prosecutors were initially strongly opposed to him being released on bail on his drug charge and argued the 26-year-old had gone to the truck “in circumstances where it’s demonstratively obvious“ that he thought there were illegal drugs inside.

The following day the NSW Supreme Court was told Justice Elizabeth Fullerton had received a message that prosecutors had changed their minds and they now consented to him being released.

It wasn’t said what prompted the change of mind.

Jamil Hopoate passes the ball during a Brisbane Broncos NRL training session at the Clive Berghofer Centre on May 14, 2020. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The court was told Hopoate‘s older brother Will, who is one of Canterbury’s star players, was willing to put up a surety of $200,000.

The big surety is likely why Hopoate had to wait two weeks to be released on bail because paperwork would need to have been prepared.

Their dad John had also written an affidavit in support of his son.

John Hopoate is seen leaving court with friends and family in support of his son Jamil Hopoate. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Hopoate will now live with his older brother in Gledswood Hills in Sydney’s southwest and will report to Campbelltown police station as part of his bail conditions instead of living on the northern beaches with his parents.

Defence barrister Greg James, QC, had argued the supply case against Hopoate wasn’t strong because he was caught throwing away a bag of fake cocaine that police had secretly planted and not the real thing.

Justice Fullerton said the Crown would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that what Hopoate intentionally took was what he believed was cocaine and that he intended to supply it.

Originally published as Jamil Hopoate walks free from jail after working as prison sweeper