Former Australia opener Michael Slater has managed to avoid jail time after a Sydney court dismissed domestic violence charges against him on
Slater, 52, was arrested by police in October and charged with harassment and intimidation of his ex-wife following an allegation of domestic violence. The well-known cricket commentator was later charged with breaching a restraining order in December after he was alleged to have sent dozens of texts and calls to his ex-wife.
Magistrate Ross Hudson of Waverley Local Court declined to sentence Slater to jail time on Wednesday but ordered that he spend three weeks in a mental health unit, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said.
"Since February, Mr. Slater has recognized his need to stay medicated and to stay on top of his mental health. He's shown a tangible commitment to therapy and counselling,” the ABC quoted Hudson as saying in court.
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The report further stated that Slater didn’t appear in court because he was detained by police and ambulance officers on Tuesday and taken to a mental health unit for treatment at a Sydney hospital.
The ABC report also said that Slater had already seen five separate psychiatrists and spent more than 100 days in various mental health facilities.
Slater has had a very good career for Australia as he played 74 tests and 42 ODIs from 1993 to 2001 and then transitioned into commentary and media work. His axing from seven networks came after his outburst against the Australia PM Scott Morrison on social media, where he claimed the PM had "blood on (his) hands" after the government temporarily banned Australians from returning home from India as the Asian nation battled a COVID-19 outbreak.
(Reuters inputs)
