By Steve Butcher
Justin Charles — the first AFL player to test positive to performance enhancing drugs — celebrated as if he'd just kicked a winning goal after a successful appeal to a Melbourne judge on driving charges.
Charles on Monday dropped to a crouch and fist-pumped outside a courtroom after judge Paul Grant allowed his appeal on two charges of driving while suspended — the fourth time he had committed the offence.
Justin Charles during his days playing for Richmond.Credit: Joe Armao
Charles, 45, a former Footscray and Richmond ruckman, tested positive in 1997 to the anabolic steroid, boldenone, the year after he finished equal third in the Brownlow Medal.
Charles, who had played five seasons with Footscray and was then drafted by Richmond, was banned for 16 weeks. He retired in 1998 after sustaining a serious injury on his return to the club.
St Kilda's Michael Ford and Mick Dwyer contest ball with Footscray's Justin Charles in 1992.Credit: Mark Wilson
A magistrate earlier this year ordered him to do a total of 90 hours unpaid community work after he pleaded guilty to the offences that were committed in January this year.
Prosecutor Peter Triandos told the County Court that Charles' licence was suspended by the Sheriffs Office in November last year for 12 months for unpaid fines.
Mr Triandos said he was intercepted by police driving in Werribee on January 1 and again on January 14 in Tottenham.
Charles told police on the first occasion he believed he should not have been suspended as he had entered a repayment plan and on the second he said he understood that once the plan began he would have been "OK to drive".
Justin Charles in 1997 after he tested positive to the anabolic steroid, boldenone.Credit: Pat Scala
Mr Triandos explained that while the present offences were prior convictions, they were different to the earlier court-imposed penalties.
Charles, who was unrepresented, told Judge Grant he accepted "full responsibility" for the offences — which carried a maximum fine of more than $1500 — but felt that the magistrate had not considered enough his ability to pay a fine.
He conceded he had "assumed wrongly" about the status of his licence and should have "followed up" but it was a case of "out of mind, out of sight".
Charles revealed that since the earlier court hearing he had been promoted to a business developer with a therapeutic solutions company.
Judge Grant set aside the magistrate's orders and convicted and fined him a total of $1050.
He told Charles the more serious offence was the second and urged him not to reoffend and expose himself to a possible jail sentence.