Former AFL player Majak Daw could face jail time over driving charges

Former North Melbourne player Majak Daw has fronted court over another driving charge which could see him face time behind bars.

Former AFL player Majak Daw could face jail as he revealed he will not challenge allegations he was caught behind the wheel on a suspended licence twice in a month.

The ex-Demon and North Melbourne ruckman had been ordered off the road for three months in September 2021 after accumulating too many demerit points for traffic infringements.

But the Herald Sun can reveal he was stopped by officers on two occasions during the suspension period.

Just days before it was due to expire, Prahran Highway Patrol officers found him in the driver’s seat when intercepting his vehicle on Dandenong Rd, St Kilda East, about 7.30pm on December 16.

Daw, 32, fronted Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with a single count of driving while suspended.

Police did not lay the charge against him until October.

Sporting a suit and tie and sitting in the front row, Daw gave no explanation as to why he flouted the law a month after he had been stopped by police in Windsor for similar offending.

Daw was ordered off the road for three months in 2021 after accumulating too many demerit points. Picture: Nicki Connolly

He fronted the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday over the new allegations. Picture: Aaron Francis

In June last year, he was spared a conviction and fined $1200 after he pleaded guilty to driving an unregistered vehicle while suspended in Windsor on November 19, 2021.

Daw is now facing a higher penalty given it is his second offence, with the maximum punishment a magistrate could dish out being up to two years imprisonment.

He could also have his licence cancelled, and cop a hefty fine.

Defence lawyer John Marquis told the court Daw would be pleading guilty at the next hearing in May.

But he successfully asked for an adjournment of the plea as he needed more time to obtain “reference material”.

Mr Marquis batted up “impressive” character references from AFL heavyweights, including Demons’ general manager of AFL football performance, Alan Richardson, in Daw’s case last year.

The former AFL player was given “impressive” character references from big AFL names. Photo: Robert Cianflone

On that occasion, he argued Daw’s driving while suspended was an “innocent mistake” as he had not received the suspension notice because he had failed to update his address with authorities.

But he cannot make the same argument for the December offending, because police had brought to Daw’s attention his licence was suspended when stopping him a month earlier.

A week after last year’s court appearance, Daw announced his retirement from the AFL.

He finished his 13-year footy career playing for Melbourne Football Club, but was most noted for his time with North Melbourne.

In 2020, Daw donned the Kangaroos’ guernsey for an inspirational return to the field after overcoming mental health battles, and severe injuries he suffered in a fall from the Bolte Bridge in 2018.