The key witness in Stuart MacGill’s prosecution has been attacked as “dishonest in many respects” as the former Australian Test cricketer’s drug supply trial draws to a close.
The crown case against the former leg-spinner turns on evidence from his former drug dealer, known only as Person A, alleging MacGill helped set up a large-scale cocaine supply in April 2021.
A jury heard the illicit exchange of $330,000 for a kilogram of cocaine had been struck between Person A and MacGill’s brother-in-law Marino Sotiropoulos after the cricketer teed up a meeting under his restaurant on Sydney‘s north shore.
While the initial deal went off without a hitch, Person A decided to rip Sotiropoulos’s associates off days later, fleeing with $660,000 worth of cocaine.
MacGill was later kidnapped and assaulted.
When he approached police six days later, he denied any involvement in the drug supply.
In his closing address on Tuesday, defence barrister Thos Hodgson said Person A had a “propensity to be dishonest in many respects”.
The primary crown witness was motivated to implicate MacGill in the deal in order to receive a lower sentence himself for drug supply, he said.
Hodgson reiterated MacGill’s testimony to the jury that he did not know about the $330,000 cocaine deal and dismissed the relevance of evidence of the 54-year-old’s past referrals to Person A.
The jury was told about three times MacGill passed his dealer’s number to other people, which the Crown says makes it more likely MacGill participated in the larger deal in 2021.
“It would not be unusual for people who consume cocaine together … to say ‘where do you get your cocaine?'” Hodgson said.
“It’s a long bow to draw to suggest some propensity … to be involved in the (large) supply of cocaine to other persons.”
With much of the alleged offence reliant on Person A’s account, the Crown has backed him in as a reliable witness.
Crown prosecutor Gabrielle Steedman pointed to other parts of his evidence that were backed by independent information.
“It was submitted if reliable for those matters, he is reliable on the matters (related to the charge),” Judge Nicole Noman told jurors late on Tuesday.
Jurors were told that, to return a guilty verdict, they needed to be satisfied MacGill “actually knew” or had a “real chance” of knowing the quantity of the drugs being supplied in the April 2021 deal.
MacGill, who played 44 Tests for Australia, has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of knowingly taking part in the large commercial quantity supply of cocaine.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
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