Australian cricketer Michael Slater has been admitted at a mental health facility in Sydney as domestic violence charges against him were dismissed by a court on mental health grounds.
Magistrate Ross Hudson ordered Slater to undergo a 12-month treatment plan under the care of a doctor.
The 52-year-old Slater, who worked as a television commentator after retiring from international cricket, was charged by New South Wales state police last October with stalking and intimidation of his ex-partner.
He later breached a restraining order by using a mobile phone to call and send dozens of text messages to his ex-partner and, in December, was ordered to check into a mental health facility as a condition of bail.
Slater did not appear in Waverley Local Court on Wednesday.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Lachlan Kirby told the court Slater had been detained by police and paramedics on Tuesday night and taken to a mental health facility on Sydney’s northern beaches.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported the court was told Slater had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, borderline personality disorder and ADHD, and had spent more than 100 days in mental health facilities.
The court also heard at the time he had relapsed into alcohol abuse.
Hudson said leading up to the offence, Slater’s mental health deteriorated while stuck in India during the Covid pandemic, as well as while in hotel quarantine on his return to Australia.
He said Slater had also used alcohol to deal with his depression following the breakdown of his relationship.
The night before the trial, there was another incident of domestic violence reported, but Slater was not charged for it.
“About 9.20pm (on April 26), officers attached to Northern Beaches Police Area Command were called to a unit on West Promenade, Manly, following reports of a domestic violence-related incident,” NSW Police said in a statement.
“On arrival, police were told a 52-year-old man had allegedly assaulted a 35-year-old woman.”
Police said Slater and the woman were “known to each other”.
Slater is a popular figure in world cricket, having played 74 Tests and 42 ODIs from 1993 to 2001. He scored 5,312 runs in his Test career at an average of 42.8.
After retiring from all forms of cricket in 2004, he worked as a commentator for 15 years.
In September 2021, he was removed from the Seven Network’s cricket commentary team for the following cricket season. He had been on contract with them for three years, but the network cited budgetary constraints in letting him go.
The decision may have also been taken after Slater went on an angry tirade on social media against Australian prime minister Scott Morrison. In May 2021, Slater had said that Morrison had “blood on his hands” for not bringing back Australians from India during the second Covid wave.
- With inputs from PTI
