Test cricket great Stuart MacGill pleads guilty in Manly court
Former Test match cricket star Stuart MacGill has pleaded guilty to drink-driving in Manly Court.
Manly
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Australian Test cricket great Stuart MacGill has been convicted of a serious drink-driving charge.
The leg spinner, who played 44 tests between 1998 and 2008, blew close to three times the limit when he was pulled over while picking up a takeaway meal for his children.
MacGill, 48, who is the general manager of a popular Neutral Bay restaurant, was stopped by a police patrol car while driving his SAAB convertible on Military Rd, Cremorne at 9.15pm on November 21.
The former host of the “Uncorked” wine show on pay TV and who ran the wine and food-based public relations company for 13 years, told police he had an “unknown amount of glasses of red” between midday and 2.30pm that day.
McGill, of Cremorne, pleaded guilty in Manly Local Court today to mid-range drink driving. He blew 0.132.
A police facts sheet tendered to court said that when MacGill was stopped by police he was “slurring his words and was unsteady on his feet”.
MacGill, who represented himself in court, told Magistrate Mark Richardson that he was “very embarrassed” to be charged with a drink-driving offence.
“I work in a restaurant and I have never, ever considered driving after consuming alcohol,” he said.
MacGill told the court, however, that he had ordered takeaway food that night for his children and it was taking a long time to arrive at his home so he decided to drive “two blocks” to pick it up himself.
“I made a poor choice … it was not the best decision I could have made.”
When asked by Mr Richardson if he had a need for a licence MacGill said he had children who he drove to sport “but I understand I made a mistake”.
“The consequences are very real.”
Mr Richardson told MacGill: “It’s a pretty high reading I’ve got to say” before disqualifying his from driving for four months and fining him $950.
When he gets his licence back he will have to fit an alcohol interlock device to his car for 12 months.