‘Going to kill me’: Emotional Stuart MacGill describes his alleged kidnapping

Cricketing great Stuart MacGill has become emotional as a court was read details of his alleged kidnapping as he battles allegations he facilitated a drug deal.

Cricketing great Stuart MacGill has broken down in tears as a court was read his harrowing version of his alleged kidnapping during which he says he was stripped, threatened with bolt cutters, told he owed drug dealers $150,000 and thought he would die.

“At that point I thought they had picked up the guy who was going to kill me,” Mr MacGill told the police in a statement in April 2021.

Portions of the statement were read to a jury in the NSW District Court in Sydney on Thursday as Mr MacGill battles allegations that he facilitated a drug deal between his partner’s brother, Marino Sotiropoulos, and a street-level dealer, who can be known only as Person A.

He has pleaded not guilty to one count of taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, with the court hearing on Thursday that he told police he had “never had anything to do with Person A’s drug dealing”.

Stuart MacGill denies he had any knowledge of any drug deal. Picture: NewsWire/Max Mason-Hubers.

‘D***HEAD’

Mr MacGill took the witness stand on Thursday as he denied the prosecution’s allegation that he helped facilitate a meeting underneath his Neutral Bay restaurant, Aristotle’s, during which an agreement was made for $330,000 to be exchanged for 1kg of cocaine.

Mr MacGill agreed that Person A was his drug dealer for about three years, and regularly bought half a gram of cocaine from him for $200.

When asked by his barrister Thos Hodgson about his relationship with Mr Sotiropoulos, he told the jury: “I never had a relationship with him, I don’t like him. To be frank I think he’s a d***head.”

Mr MacGill told the court that Mr Sotiropoulos would frequently come into the restaurant “and would talk about how tough he was and how hooked up he was”.

Mr MacGill told the court on Thursday that he had complained to Person A about his brother-in-law and that Person A subsequently expressed an interest in meeting Mr Sotiropoulos.

Stuart MacGill during his playing career. Photo: Hamish Blair/Getty Images.

THE MEETING

The Crown has alleged that Mr MacGill at one point complained to Person A about the quality of his product.

The Crown has further alleged that Mr MacGill told Person A that his “brother-in-law” could get “good quality cocaine” and “get good gear”, the court was previously told.

However that version was disputed by Mr MacGill and he denied acting as a go-between to negotiate prices between Mr Sotiropoulos and Person A.

Mr MacGill says he arranged for Mr Sotiropoulos and Person A to meet in the car park underneath Aristotle’s.

However he denies several of the crown allegations – including that he stood there for several minutes or that Mr Sotiropoulos had a money counter.

“We jumped out of the car and as simply as this I said ‘Marino, Person A. Person A, Marino’,” Mr MacGill told the court.

“Cool. They shook hands and then I took off upstairs. I’m talking like five seconds.”

The Crown alleges that the drug deal later took place in a park at Ashfield. It’s not alleged that Mr MacGill was present.

Nor is he alleged to have had any involvement in two further deals between Mr Sotiropoulos and Person A.

Crown prosecutor Gabrielle Steedman has told the court that on another occasion Person A agreed to purchase 2kg of cocaine for $660,000.

However, Person A fled with the drugs after giving the group a block of dummy money consisting of a vacuum-sealed block of A4 paper with $50 notes on the outside.

It was that incident, the court has been told, led to Mr MacGill’s alleged kidnapping from outside his Cremorne home.

He has pleaded not guilty. Picture: NewsWire/Nikki Short.

‘GET IN THE CAR’

In his police statement, which was read to the court earlier on Thursday, Mr MacGill told police that a week after the introduction, he woke to see frantic phone calls and texts on his phone from Mr Sotiropoulos and Ms O’Meagher.

Mr MacGill said Mr Sotiropoulos came to his apartment and told him: “Your mate has stolen money, $660,000.”

The court was told that Mr MacGill said he replied: “Mate, I don’t give a f**k, it’s got nothing to do with me. F**k off.”

He said he attempted to contact Person A but was unsuccessful.

Mr MacGill told police in his statement that he was later called outside by Mr Sotiropoulos. He said another man then demanded $90,000 or Person A be found by lunchtime the next day.

Mr MacGill said he began to worry, packed a bag, and convinced another person in his complex to sneak him out of the building by lying on the floor of his car.

When Mr MacGill arrived home later, he found Mr Sotiropoulos once again waiting outside with another man.

According to his statement, Mr MacGill said he was told: “get in the car” and “we know you had nothing to do with it, we just want to talk to you”.

Mr MacGill said in his statement that he was driven an hour to a semi-rural part of Sydney at Bringelly.

Mr MacGill says he was kidnapped as a group of drug dealers attempting to find Person A. Picture: NewsWire/Nikki Short

‘TAKE YOUR FINGERS’

He said he saw two parked cars on the side of the road and the men in the car picked up a man wearing a balaclava and carrying a plastic bag.

Mr MacGill said he believed that man was going to kill him.

He said he was taken inside a small room with a wooden window where one of the men said, “Let’s see if he’s wearing a wire”, and he was made to strip down naked.

He said he was slapped to the ground and the group of men, some of whom had guns, placed a pair of bolt cutters on the floor.

He said he was asked: “Where’s Person A? Where does he live? How do you know him? Who knows him?”

Mr MacGill said he replied: “I don’t know where he is, I’ve been trying to find him.”

He said the men then demanded $150,000 and told him: “They want me to take your fingers.”

At this point, Judge Nicole Noman paused the court as she noted that Mr MacGill had become emotional and was sobbing as he sat in the dock.

Mr Hodgson asked that the jury simply read the statement to themselves, rather than it being read out loud because of his client’s distress.

The trial continues on Wednesday.

Originally published as ‘Going to kill me’: Emotional Stuart MacGill describes his alleged kidnapping