Ben Cousins jailed for 12 months

BEN Cousins’ “tale of despair and missed opportunities” has landed him a 12-month jail term for stalking his ex-partner and repeatedly breaching a restraining order.

Former West Coast Eagles AFL player Ben Cousins has been sentenced to 12 months jail. Picture: AAP

FALLEN AFL star Ben Cousins’ “tale of despair and missed opportunities” has landed him a 12-month jail term for stalking his ex-partner and repeatedly breaching a violence restraining order.

The long-term ice user was on Tuesday jailed by a magistrate who said that despite Cousins’ need for rehabilitation, a clear message must be sent to the community.

Cousins, 38, bombarded Maylea Tinecheff, with whom he has two children, 3 and 5, with more than 2000 texts and calls in January-February, and approached her at her church, her home and their children’s school.

He tried to contact her 542 times in November, including 103 times in one day.

A violence restraining order, keeping him at least 50m away from her, has been in place since May 2016.

ELUSIVE COUSINS: Wallace details struggle to stay in touch

Cousins after an earlier court appearance. Picture: Getty

In February, Cousins was also caught driving while his licence was suspended. Police found 8g of methamphetamine in his car.

Defence lawyer Michael Tudori implored magistrate Richard Huston to suspend a jail term and impose an intensive supervision order so Cousins could have residential rehabilitation.

He told the Magistrates’ Court of Western Australia the Brownlow medallist had been using 2g of meth a day, but after being in jail since his arrest in February he was a very different person and ready for “intensive therapy”.

“It is the first time that he is willing to grab that hand and say ‘Yep, I have got to change’,” Mr Tudori said.

At an earlier court appearance, prosecutors said Cousins had told his father by phone from jail that he could “stop whenever I want” but “I’m not going to stop”.

In another conversation with a friend, he said he would do a month in rehabilitation but not “some long f---ing thing”.

Drugs, lies and cover-ups: West Coast scandal exposed

Betrayal of a duty of care: West Coast chiefs lashed over culture

Former West Coast Eagles AFL player Ben Cousins leaves the Fremantle Magistrates Court in Perth. Picture: AAP

Mr Tudori told the court: “What these offences are about is his desire to see his children.”

He said Cousins had not had a “significant” job since his football career ended.

The West Coast Eagles indicated they hoped to find work for him if he completed residential rehabilitation.

Mr Huston said Cousins’ repeated breaches of the restraining order were sinister and terrifying, and to allocate scarce resources to those unwilling to engage in rehabilitation was pointless.

He said Cousins’ was “sadly a tale of despair and missed opportunities”.

“You are and were uniquely placed to show leadership and inspiration. But you have declined that opportunity for many years,” he said.

Setting a minimum term of six months’ jail, Mr Huston also fined Cousins $2400 on drug offences and driving without a licence, and disqualified him from driving.

Allowing for time spent on remand, Cousins will be eligible for parole in August. His father, Bryan, did not comment. Mr Tudori said he would consider an appeal.

The sentencing comes a week after the 2008 probe into illicit drug abuse at the Eagles was unearthed by the Herald Sun. The report by retired judge William Gillard asserted: “The Cousins saga amply demonstrates and exemplifies the dangers in failing to respond to a problem early ... The sore festers and every effort is made to cover it up.

“All the background evidence suggests that he was in the grip of illicit drugs and that he took them regularly. Yet nothing was done at the club to take a stand.”

Ben Cousins before his fall from grace. Picture: Getty

JAIL ‘WILL HELP’ COUSINS: JAKOVICH

WEST Coast great Glen Jakovich hopes Ben Cousins’ stint in jail will finally allow the fallen star to get clean from drugs.

Cousins was sentenced to 12 months in prison today after pleading guilty to 11 offences, including aggravated stalking, breaching a violence restraining order, and drug possession.

The 38-year-old will be eligible for parole after six months.

Jakovich played alongside Cousins for nine seasons at the Eagles, and was saddened to see the depths his former teammate has plummeted. But Jakovich hopes time in jail will end up being the turning point that Cousins so desperately needs.

“Hopefully this is the rock bottom of the plight he’s been on since he’s retired from footy,” Jakovich told AAP.

Cousins is chaired off of Subiaco Oval by veteran team mates Ashley McIntosh (l) and Glen Jakovich after playing his 150th game Picture: Jackson Flindell

“Hopefully the next six months he doesn’t touch drugs, and he gets the right counselling and therapy he needs.

“He needs to start getting some structure and some programs, and just get healthy — for his own safety and wellbeing.

“Some professional people I’ve come across have said the best thing that can happen is if he goes to jail — so that he’s not on the streets, he’s not driving around at 2am in the morning in harm’s way.”

Jakovich, who played 276 games for the Eagles and now works as a sports commentator for Perth radio station 6PR, said the scourge of drugs was scary given he now has three children of his own.

He hopes the plight of Cousins will serve as a warning to others about the dangers of drugs.

“We’ve seen a guy reach the pinnacle of his sport, and win the adulation of a country, and had all the fortunes that came with it,” Jakovich said. “Unfortunately, now we see him in jail. That’s

just a 360-degree transformation, which is very sad. We just hope he gets well.”

STARS’ BATTLE WITH DRUG ADDICTION

Cousins has faced a long battle with drugs since he was in the AFL limelight.

He was hospitalised following a car crash in November last year, which occurred the day after a warrant was issued for his arrest for failing to appear in a Perth court.

In July, he made headlines when he was found directing traffic on a busy Perth highway in a disorientated state and was taken to hospital.

While it was initially believed Cousins was willing to go to rehab after spending a month in prison, last week a Perth court was told he has “no intention of quitting drugs”.

RELATED: Cousins says he doesn’t want to quit drugs

His lawyer said a rare opportunity had come up for a spot in a residential rehab program, but the police prosecutor said they were seeking a prison sentence.

The court heard Cousins’ phone calls were tapped in prison and he told his father he did not want to quit.

Ben Cousins has been jailed for 12 months. Picture: AAP

But Mr Tudori said those calls were made earlier in his prison stint and he no longer felt that way.

“He’s ready and willing to enter a residential rehabilitation program,” he said.

If Cousins enters the program, it will last at least six months.

In December last year, News Corp revealed Cousins was “living out of a backpack” while moving between friends’ houses.

RELATED: Ben Cousins reveals he’s living out of a backpack

“It’s hard to know where to go to,” he said.

“I am living out of a backpack at the moment.

“I move between three mate’s houses, spend time on different couches. There’s a lady I knock around with these days who I stay with, otherwise I just move on to another place.”

Originally published as Ben Cousins jailed for 12 months