Shock as cricketing great Stuart MacGill avoids jail over drug deal

Cricketing great Stuart MacGill’s “very public fall from grace” has been laid bare after he was sentenced for his role in a drug deal.

Cricketing great Stuart MacGill has walked free from court after he was spared jail over his role in facilitating a $330,000 drug deal that a judge slammed as a “colossal lapse of judgment” that led to his “fall from grace”.

MacGill, 54, did not comment about his sentence, simply saying “excuse me, excuse me” as he exited Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Friday morning.

MacGill was earlier this year found guilty by a jury of helping to set up, and being present at, a meeting between his partner’s brother and a street-level drug dealer underneath his Neutral Bay restaurant in April 2021.

MacGill had claimed he simply introduced the drug dealer, who can only be known as Person A, and his brother-in-law and played no part in a later drug deal. However, that version of events was rejected by the jury during his eight-day trial.

Judge Nicole Noman sentenced MacGill to a one-year-and-10-month intensive corrections order – to be served in the community – and ordered him to perform 495 hours of community service.

During sentencing proceedings on Friday, his barrister Thos Hodgson flagged MacGill’s intention to appeal his conviction.

Stuart MacGill walked from court a free man on Friday after being sentenced for drug supply charges. Picture: NewsWire/John Appleyard.

MacGill was in March found guilty by a jury of one count of taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug.

He was found not guilty of the more serious charge of taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.

“The offender’s colossal lapse of judgment has been causative of a very public fall from grace,” Judge Noman said during her sentencing remarks on Friday.

Judge Noman said that character references tendered by MacGill’s legal team – including one by former Australian Test captain Steve Waugh – spoke of his “exceptional skill” during his 44 Test career.

In his character reference, Mr Waugh told Judge Noman that he had known MacGill since 1995 as NSW and Australian teammates.

“Stuart has a wide range of interests including views on politics, world events, sport, as well as an insatiable appetite for knowledge aided by (reading) books on a daily basis,” Mr Waugh said.

He said he was aware that MacGill had been found guilty of supplying a prohibited drug.

“As a captain during this time, I learnt to treat people equally but differently, as their talent, their personalities and circumstances dictated,” Mr Waugh said.

“With Stuart this was a simple equation. When tasked with a responsibility on the field there was never any fuss. He immediately committed to the task and was motivated to test his skill against the best.

“ … I believe Stuart has the background of knowledge accumulated in his life and playing days to appreciate all the options for the future and the hard work and steps required in this process.”

MacGill was sentenced after being found guilty of playing a role in a $330,000 drug deal. Picture: NewsWire/John Appleyard.

During MacGill’s trial, the Crown alleged that Person A – who was MacGill’s regular cocaine dealer – and his brother’s partner Marino Sotiropoulos came to an agreement to exchange $330,000 for 1kg of cocaine.

MacGill told the court that he regularly purchased half a gram of cocaine from Person A for $200.

Judge Noman told the court on Friday that the jury must not have been satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that MacGill knew the deal was for a kilo of cocaine.

She said that during his evidence, Person A said he made references to a “brick”, which was an accepted term within the drug industry for one kilogram of the drug.

Judge Noman said the jury found it could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that MacGill had knowledge of the quantity of the drug being exchanged by the two men given the charge, which he was convicted of, related to a maximum of 250 grams.

The court was told that MacGill had acted as a go-between before setting up a meeting between the pair underneath Aristotle’s restaurant, which MacGill ran with his partner Maria O’Meagher. Ms O’Meagher is not accused of any wrongdoing.

MacGill stood metres away during the meeting, the court was told.

However, MacGill said he immediately left the meeting after introducing Person A and Mr Sotiropoulos and maintained his innocence.

It was not alleged that MacGill was present when the drug exchange later took place in a park in Ashfield.

MacGill at Aristotle’s restaurant. Picture: Instagram.

MacGill during his playing career.

The incident indirectly led to MacGill’s alleged kidnapping several weeks later during which he said he was stripped and detained in a shed in Bringelly.

Under cross-examination, MacGill was asked about his motivation for introducing the two men and what he thought they had in common.

“Drugs. Full stop,” MacGill replied.

However, Judge Noman said in her sentencing remarks on Friday: “(MacGill) maintained a quite ludicrous assertion that he made in evidence as to why he introduced Person A to Mr Sotiropoulos.”

She said she could not make any finding of remorse, adding that he wilfully lied to police when giving a statement about his alleged kidnapping.

The court was told that MacGill was on government benefits but did some private one-on-one coaching.

Originally published as Shock as cricketing great Stuart MacGill avoids jail over drug deal