Former Australian cricket star Stuart MacGill was drunk when he allegedly screamed obscenities at his finest pal’s ex fiancee earlier than he intimidated her at a pub, a court docket has been advised.
The 51-year-old appeared in Sydney Downing Centre Native Courtroom on Monday to proceed to struggle the fees of intimidation and utilizing offensive language in a public place.
Police allege the legendary spin bowler and his pal Stephen Kerlin, 54, verbally abused Samantha Lorraine Ford on Kent St in Sydney.
The 2 males are accused of approaching the girl, who’s Mr Kerlin’s former accomplice, on a nook close to the Lord Nelson pub round 6pm on February 1.
Greater than a yr after the alleged intimidation, Ms Ford appeared in court docket and claimed the 2 males screamed swear phrases at her as they approached her.
The court docket was advised she had been returning to her house on Argyle St with a parcel in a single hand and a poodle within the different when she heard “loud shouting” from a close-by avenue.
“The primary screams have been loud so I regarded up instantly and I recognised the 2 folks,” Ms Ford mentioned.
She recognized her former accomplice Mr Kerlin and his finest pal Mr MacGill, whom she’d met earlier than, as her verbal assailants.
The pub proprietor mentioned the pair have been staring instantly at her as Mr MacGill shouted that she was a “c***y c**t” and an “a**ehole” and advised her she was “happening”.
The lads allegedly approached Ms Ford till they have been solely 15m away and continued their verbal tirade.
“I used to be shocked, I stepped again a few paces,” she mentioned.
“(I felt) very very threatened and really scared.”
Ms Ford advised the court docket that Mr MacGill had been the instigator of the verbal assault however Mr Kerlin had joined in. She judged the pair to be “extremely intoxicated” however mentioned “Stuart was in cost”.
“Stuart appeared … his voice was very loud, the amount was loud. He appeared very offended. It was intense,” she mentioned.
“His face was purple, his pupils have been … scary, they have been wild.”
After allegedly unloading the stream of insults on the pub proprietor, the court docket was advised the lads walked away in direction of the Captain Cook dinner Resort.
Ms Ford advised the court docket that she adopted them to the licensed premises to ask the pub workers to not serve alcohol to Mr MacGill or Mr Kerlin within the curiosity of her security.
In a press release to police only a day after the incident, she defined she adopted the pair as a result of she wished to inform Mr MacGill and Mr Kerlin to not threaten or abuse her anymore.
“I didn’t need the occasions of the night to escalate extra, for them to go and drink extra, contemplating my residence is 10m from the resort,” she mentioned.
Nonetheless, she claimed her entrance to the pub was blocked by the previous Take a look at cricketer standing within the doorway.
“B****, you’re not welcome right here,” he allegedly mentioned to Ms Ford.
The court docket was advised he was inside arm’s attain when he leaned over her and allegedly intimidated her.
“Stuart got here up and mentioned one thing like ‘f**ok off’ and ‘f**ok off you c**t’ and he mentioned he was going to name the police,” Ms Ford defined.
“He mentioned ‘you c**t, you’re happening, you’re not welcome right here’.”
Ms Ford mentioned the previous spin bowler was “threatening” and appeared “extraordinarily offended”.
“I felt scared, very scared, intimidated, threatened,” she mentioned.
The court docket was advised she subsequently backed down the steps of the resort, nonetheless clutching her parcel and poodle.
The pub proprietor rejected strategies from defence lawyer Joseph Correy that she had “embellished” Mr MacGill’s function within the altercation.
She equally denied that Mr Kerlin was the principle agitator of the dispute within the pub, which Mr Correy claimed was evident within the CCTV footage.
The bartender on the Captain Cook dinner Resort, Ashley Bokser, advised the court docket that Mr Kerlin had approached Ms Ford after she “introduced her presence” on getting into the pub.
“He had walked as much as her and he was arguing and pissed off,” she recounted.
Ms Bokser mentioned Mr MacGill “walked up type of behind” his pal and was “repeating a number of the issues (Mr Kerlin) was saying”.
She advised the court docket the previous check cricketer was “barely aggressive” in direction of Ms Ford.
The bartender characterised Mr MacGill as “intoxicated”, “slurring his phrases”, and “a bit teary-eyed” on the time.
She intervened in between Mr Kerlin and Ms Ford to defuse the loud argument, and requested them each to go away the premises.
When giving proof, Ms Ford mentioned she didn’t bear in mind being requested to go away.
Mr Kerlin pleaded responsible to intimidation and contravening an apprehended violence order final yr.
The listening to will proceed earlier than Justice of the Peace Christine Haskett on Tuesday.
