Former Richmond coach Terry Wallace has raised concerns for the well-being of Ben Cousins, fearing that the fallen star will struggle with his new life behind bars.
Cousins appeared before Armadale Magistrates Court yesterday on a number of serious charges stemming from an arrest late last week, and was denied bail, meaning he will spend at least the next two weeks locked up.
Speaking to The Home Run, Wallace described Cousins’ demeanour as generally unsettled, and raised concerns over how he would cope in prison, saying:
“I remember when he was with us at the Tigers, I brought the boys around for a barbecue and a backyard cricket game and him being confined to my backyard, he was like a caged lion. He just couldn’t handle the confines of being closed up at all. He’ll be crawling up the walls (in jail).”
It is alleged that Cousins breached a violence restraining order taken out by his former partner, and he has also been charged with aggravated stalking, driving without a licence, and possessing a prohibited drug and smoking utensil.
The stalking charges stem from alleged incidents over the last several month at which Cousins is said to have made phone calls to his former partner, and visited their children’s school and church.
He was arrested with eight grams of methamphetamine, and allegedly told police he is a “heavy drug user” with a high tolerance to the drug.
If convicted of these new charges, Cousins could very likely face a lengthier prison sentence, and Wallace hopes that, in this event, he may be able to turn his life around:
“It might be the best thing for him to clean himself up … He’s been given chances. We brought him in to play footy but also give him a chance, but unfortunately he couldn’t stay on that straight and narrow. It’s just very sad in general. He’s had so many chances, but we also know that when drugs gets you – it doesn’t matter who you all, he hasn’t been able to beat it at all.”
Source: News Corp.
Photo: Paul Kane / Getty.
