Dean Laidley granted bail after details of alleged stalking emerge
Fallen football star Dean Laidley “bombarded” a woman with almost 50 phone calls in a single day and threatened to run her over in his car, a court has heard.
Police & Courts
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Fallen football star Dean Laidley “bombarded” a woman with almost 50 phone calls in a single day and threatened to run her over in his car, a court has heard.
Details of the former North Melbourne coach’s alleged offending were aired in court on Monday as Laidley was granted bail on stalking charges.
Supported in court by his son and a swag of “striking” character references from AFL legends, the court heard Laidley had become increasingly aggressive towards his alleged victim between April and May, calling her a “slut” and “c—t”, and leaving up to 30 abusive voicemail messages when she did not answer.
Police allege between April 3 and May 4, Laidley called and texted the victim more than one hundred times.
During one alleged phone call, Laidley said: “I’m going to ram you with the car when you leave”.
He is also accused of carrying out “reconnaissance” on her address, taking pictures of her apartment building and car and requesting CCTV from her body corporate to “keep her under surveillance”.
Following his arrest on May 4, police allegedly found 0.43grams of methamphetamine hidden in his bra.
Photos of Laidley wearing a wig and female clothing emerged and were widely shared on social media as news broke of his arrest.
Senior Constable James Maddock gave evidence the alleged victim was “petrified” of Laidley.
“She’s exhausted by all this … (and) fearful to do daily duties,” Snr-Con Maddock told the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
During the period of alleged offending, the woman told police she believed Laidley had “hit rock bottom” and was depressed, lonely and using drugs.
The court heard there was an ongoing financial dispute between the pair which cannot be detailed for legal reasons.
Police had opposed bail, arguing Laidley’s escalation of alleged behaviour, severe drug abuse and mental health decline made him an unacceptable risk to the alleged victim and the community.
The court heard Laidley was suffering from pre-existing emotional and psychiatric issues, gender dysphoria and substance abuse.
Eminent barrister Phil Dunn QC, for Laidley, said his client was “not a bad man, but a man who has lost his way”.
“He has lived in a cocoon for a very long time,” Mr Dunn said, referring to his time playing and coaching in the AFL.
Mr Dunn said his mental health began to deteriorate after he was “eased out of the AFL system”.
Mr Dunn presented several character references in support of the former footballer, with the AFL Players’ Association offering to fund Laidley’s stay at the residential rehab clinic.
Former North Melbourne teammate Brent Harvey and club chairman James Brayshaw were among the high profile footy identities to provide character references for Laidley.
Others included former coaches Mark Williams, Dennis Pagan and Guy McKenna as well as Kangaroos club doctor Con Mitropoulos and premiership player Wayne Schwass.
Mr Dunn argued Laidley should be bailed to the private rehab clinic where he will be under constant supervision without access to phones and required to undergo biweekly drug tests.
“(He) is very ready and is in fact looking forward to being in a place where he can finally address some of these issues,” Mr Dunn said.
Outside court, Mr Dunn said Laidley was “very sorry” for what had happened and wanted to be “a much better person”.
When granting bail, Magistrate Kieran Gilligan said the alleged offending was serious and prosecutors had a strong case but he was satisfied any concerns raised by police could be addressed in the residential treatment facility.
Laidley’s matter will return to court next month.
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