Shannon Noll pleads guilty to cocaine possession

SHANNON Noll has pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine at a Sydney pub but escaped conviction with the help of Kyle Sandilands.

SHANNON Noll has pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine at a Sydney pub but escaped conviction with the help of Kyle Sandilands.

The Australian musician appeared in Sutherland Local Court this morning after he was caught with half a gram of the prohibited drug in a bag at the Caringbah Hotel in Sydney’s south last month. The 43-year-old’s lawyer, Bryan Wrench, entered his client’s guilty plea before a deputy registrar on Thursday, while Noll sat outside the courtroom.

Mr Wrench asked that the charge of possessing a prohibited drug immediately proceed to sentence. Later in the day, the singer-songwriter appeared before Magistrate Glenn Walsh who handed him a one year good behaviour bond and didn’t record a conviction.

The magistrate noted farmers and celebrities - including controversial radio star Kyle Sandilands - were among those who provided references in support of Noll’s character being that of a “great man”.

The court heard Noll has fallen from his “high perch”, and suffers “a severe case” of depression.

“He’s never really gotten over the death of his father,” Mr Walsh said as he imposed the bond.

The court also heard Noll has donated an estimated $1 million to charity but suffered significantly from the publicity surrounding his case and had lost at least two jobs since his drug possession charge became public.

The magistrate said a conviction would be “going too far” and “if he (Noll) wants to resurrect and continue his career, clearly a ... conviction would be most adverse to him”.

“Frankly, his status as a singer has little to do with this case,” Magistrate Walsh said.

Outside the court, Noll told reporters he was “just looking forward to putting this behind (him) and getting back to work”.

“I’d just like to thank the judge and Bryan Wrench for his representation,” he said before leaving the court in a car.

Noll was arrested following a dog squad search on September 13.

A New South Wales police spokeswoman previously told news.com.au that Noll was arrested by police after “allegedly being detected with white powder, believed to be cocaine”.

“About 8.15pm yesterday (Thursday, September 13, 2018), officers from the Sutherland Shire Police Area Command along with Public Transport & Public Safety Command and the Dog Unit, were conducting a drug operation at a licensed premises on Port Hacking Road at Caringbah,” the spokeswoman said.

“A 42-year-old man was arrested by police after allegedly being detected with white powder, believed to be cocaine.

“The man was issued a Field Court Attendance Notice to appear at Sutherland Local Court on Thursday 11 October 2018, for the offence of possess prohibited drug.”

Noll arrived in court this morning wearing a blue suit and tie, and holding an umbrella, as rain poured down.

Australian musician Shannon Noll arrives at Sutherland Local Court in Sydney, Thursday, October, 11, 2018. Shannon Noll is facing drug possession charges. Picture: AAP/Dean Lewins.

Noll first rose to fame as runner-up in the first season of Australian Idol in 2003.

The drug allegations come after a series of incidents at live shows. In July, footage emerged of Noll hurling abuse at a concertgoer - who had thrown beer cans at him on stage - at the Duck Creek Picnic Races in the regional NSW town of Nyngan.

Noll called the audience member a “f--- head” and offered $100 for someone to “punch that f--- for me”.

A month later, the What About Me singer held up two middle fingers to critics of the infamous “beer can” rant.

Despite issuing a public apology for his behaviour at the time, he later blamed media “bullsh*t” for the controversy.

In January 2017, Noll was arrested and charged over the assault of a bouncer outside an Adelaide strip club.

Shannon Noll during his infamous “beer can rant”.

Shannon Noll. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Singer-songwriter Shannon Noll. Picture: Warner Music Australia.

The father-of-three has been open about his struggles with addiction.

In a 2008 interview with The Daily Telegraph, he spoke about his battles with drug and alcohol, saying that his lowest point came after the death of his father in 2001.

“I got to a stage where I had to own up to it,’’ Noll said at the time. “I’d turned into a zombie on the lounge. I wasn’t doing anything useful.

“My dad never drank and he never smoked.

“He worked his fingers to the bone. You can be a good man and, still, things can go wrong,” he added.

“You can wrap yourself in cotton wool and get hit by a truck. So I thought, bugger it, I’m going to live life, try things, have a bit of fun and not live in the closet. I don’t want to live my life worrying about what might go wrong.’’

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