Richmond Tigers star Marlion Pickett granted bail over alleged offending
Police are investigating whether Marlion Pickett may have broken other laws in an alleged burglary spree that landed him behind bars.
Police are investigating whether AFL star Marlion Pickett may have broken other laws during the $380,000 alleged burglary spree that landed him behind bars at the weekend.
Pickett was granted bail on Monday, allowing him to fly from Perth to his Melbourne home. He was arrested on Sunday, just hours after he played for Richmond against the Fremantle Dockers, and was charged with multiple offences relating to a string of burglaries in various Perth suburbs in December and January.
Picket, 31, is alleged to have purchased clothing and tools used in the burglaries. He also paid for the rental of a camper van that was driven out of Western Australia by his co-accused, while Pickett’s bank records – in particular January transfers of $6000 and $9000 into his account – will also be produced as evidence.
Police said the footballer’s mobile phone had been detected by a telecommunications tower near the scene of one of the offences. Police also have CCTV footage, although Pickett’s lawyer, David Manera, said his client was not readily identifiable in the vision.
The single biggest alleged burglary involved the theft of $325,000 in Australian and foreign currencies from a currency exchange business. The burglaries targeted the safes inside several commercial premises.
There is no physical evidence linking Pickett to the offences, with the Perth Magistrates Court hearing that the offenders appeared to have used bleach at the crime scenes to avoid leaving DNA.
Prosecutors said they were still investigating whether Pickett had been involved in the laundering of proceeds from the alleged offences. They also said that charges against other people allegedly involved in the burglaries were “imminent”.
Police opposed Mr Pickett’s bail application, saying there was a risk of Pickett reoffending should he be released.
But Mr Manera argued that Pickett was the sole provider to his family, including four children ranging in age from six to 13. He said his client was also a mentor to other Indigenous players at Richmond.
Magistrate Erin O’Donnell noted that Mr Pickett had previously been involved in offending “in the same sort of realm” as the latest charges. He had been sentenced to more than two years in prison for burglaries in 2010. He had also once been fined $200 for breaching bail conditions, and in 2016 was fined $1000 for possessing stolen property.
Ms O’Donnell said that while the charges were serious, she did not consider the footballer to be a “significant” flight risk.
Pickett will have to report weekly to police in Melbourne and was also required to lodge a $50,000 surety. He will be allowed to travel interstate to play football but is prohibited from setting foot in any international airport terminals.
Speaking outside the court, Mr Manera said Pickett had been aware that police had wished to speak to him days before he played on Saturday night.
“He let the team fly out at midnight and he stayed behind to meet police,” he said.
Pickett left the court without making any comment.
His footballing career had up until now been one of the sport’s great fairytale stories.
He had been jailed as a young adult, but had appeared to have since turned his life around. After dominant performances for South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League, Pickett was drafted by the Tigers in the 2019 mid-season draft. He made his AFL debut in that year’s grand final, playing a starring role in the premiership.
He told the Herald Sun in 20021 how his time in jail and the support of his partner Jess helped him turn his life around.
“It woke me up and changed my perspective on who my true friends were because I didn’t really have anyone apart from my missus come and visit me,” he said.
“Having her in my corner was so important. We all change, but if you really want to change you’ve got to do it for yourself and I had something (family and footy) to change for.”
Richmond on Sunday night said it would support Pickett.
“The club will continue to support Marlion and his family while these matters are dealt with,” the Tigers said in a statement.
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