Ben Cousins, former AFL star player, has been sentenced to 12 months jail by a Perth judge on charges of aggravated stalking, repeated breaches of a restraining order, and a raft of drug possession charges.
The troubled ex-player, who won a Brownlow Medal and and AFL Premiership during his time at the West Coast Eagles, has repeatedly made headlines for his various run-ins with the law.
In early December Cousins was arrested on charges of breaching a violent restraining order taken out on him by his former partner, the mother of his two children. This followed on from an incident in October where he was arrested, again for breaching the same VRO.
Cousins also has a long and publicly-documented history of substance abuse, dating back to his playing days with the Eagles.
The AFL Players’ Association had given the court an assurance to partly-fund a voluntary drug rehabilitation program for Cousins if he were to avoid a jail sentence, and the West Coast Eagles had promised the 38-year-old a job and on-going support once he managed to get himself clean.
But a Perth judge today asserted he had to make an example of Cousins, sentencing him to 12-months jail and refusing to suspend any part of it. Cousins was also fined $2,400.
The court heard that Cousins had “bombarded” his former partner with literal thousands of calls and texts since the October arrest. In one single day, Cousins attempted to contact her 103 times.
Cousins will reportedly be eligible for parole in 6 months.
Source: WA Today.
Photo: Paul Kane/Getty.
