Former Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill breaks silence on alleged kidnapping

Former Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill claims the trauma of his alleged kidnapping ordeal has left him unable to work or sleep.

Former cricketer Stuart MacGill has given his account of the moment he was allegedly kidnapped and assaulted by masked bandits.

In a statement to the court, read out on Channel 7’s Spotlight program, MacGill claims the trauma of his alleged ordeal still leaves him unable to work or sleep.

Police allege the father-of-two was abducted from outside his Cremorne home on Sydney’s lower north shore in April last year over an alleged drug deal gone wrong.

In the statement to the court, MacGill says he went into hiding and only reported the alleged kidnapping a week later for fear his children would be hurt.

Stuart MacGill attends the simulcast of the state memorial service for fellow cricketer Shane Warne in March. Picture: Matt King/Getty

The 51-year-old was allegedly driven to a remote location in Sydney’s south west, stripped naked and beaten at gunpoint as demands for money were made.

Four men – including Marino Sotiropoulos the brother of MacGill’s partner Maria O’Meagher – have pleaded not guilty over the incident.

“The street lights were orange and it was a semi rural area with farms,” MacGill recalls, a reading from his statement.

“When we got close and it was getting darker, I started to shake. I knew there would be no cameras and nobody would see me.

“At that point, I thought they’d picked up the guy who was going to kill me,” MacGill said.

“The guy in the balaclava got in the front passenger seat. We drove back to the road that we were on before, and we stopped out front of a farm. I remember there were cows and cow poo all around the place.

“The guy in the balaclava punched me with his right hand with a closed fist to the front of my face, hitting my mouth,” MacGill said.

“The second punch was an uppercut to my chin. And then the rest were to the left side of my head, face, shoulder and neck.

“I blacked out a couple of times.

“The balaclava guy said “Get away from the wall.” I think that’s because I was making too much noise, and that was scaring them.”

MacGill celebrates a dismissal during the Australia v ICC XI World Super Series at the SCG. pic. Phil Hillyard

MacGill said he went into hiding for almost a week before he reported the alleged incident to police.

Police have previously said MacGill was “purely” a victim and not involved in any criminal activity.

Four men will face trial next year.

During the program, MacGill also comments on what it was like to live the cricketing shadow of the late Shane Warne – joking he was Warney’s “stunt double”.

“I was there waiting when, if he got injured, or if on the rare occasion they wanted somebody else, but, yeah. I was waiting for a long time, and rightly so, because he’s the best ever. He always will be.”

7 NEWS Spotlight airs 7pm Sunday on Channel 7 and 7 plus