Former Olympic swimmer Scott Miller says he was introduced to drugs through marriage to Charlotte Dawson

Former Olympic swimmer Scott Miller has said he was introduced to drugs through his relationship with his ex-wife Charlotte Dawson before becoming addicted and ending up in prison.

Miller, 49, was convicted in Sydney’s Downing Center District Court on Friday of running an ice cream supply ring in Sydney’s west in 2020, where the drugs were hidden in instant noodle containers.

The silver medalist had pleaded guilty to supplying a large commercial quantity of drugs and leading a criminal group.

He was sentenced to four years and given a one-year non-parole period.

With time already served, Miller could be a free man next Wednesday.

During Friday’s hearing, Miller filed an affidavit alleging he had been dating and that his marriage to the late glamorous TV host and socialite Dawson in 1999 led him down a dark path.

Dawson took her own life in 2014, a day after Miller turned 39.

“Charlotte was involved in the fashion and media industries and it was in the context of my exposure to the lifestyle that my wife’s social and employment relationships enabled that I first encountered personal drug use,” Miller wrote , the Daily Telegraph reported.

“Although it was not significant, I realize in retrospect that this was (the) beginning of my long and disastrous involvement with drug abuse.”

The marriage between Dawson and Miller, that one won a silver and bronze medal as a butterfly swimmer at the 1996 Atlanta The Olympics did not last long and ended after a few years.

Miller blamed his new lifestyle for missing selection for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

“This failure … was also a factor in the deterioration of my marriage, which ended after three or four years,” he said in the court document.

He also said that the isolation and separation from his family during training worsened his mental anguish.

Miller’s lawyer Greg Goold told the court a psychiatric assessment revealed he suffered from depression common among elite athletes when they can no longer compete at the highest level.

Miller won a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, but he felt crushed by finishing second

The marriage between Dawson and Miller, who won a silver and bronze medal as a butterfly swimmer at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, did not last long and ended after a few years.

“The pursuit of glory for his country came at the expense of everything else in his life,” the court ruled.

When Miller finished second to Russian Denis Pankratov in the 100-meter butterfly final at the 1996 Olympics, it had a serious mental effect on him.

These types of tensions caused Miller to turn to drugs, which has resulted in a number of arrests and prison sentences.

Miller is currently serving a maximum prison sentence of five years and six months, having already pleaded guilty to drug supply charges linked to the same supply ring.

The one-year period of his latest sentence expires on May 15 and due to the time he has already served, he will be eligible for release less than a week after his latest conviction.

Miller is arrested by police in February 2021

The latest penalty involved Miller supplying 504 grams of ice from a Haberfield property in Sydney’s west between April and October 2020.

Judge Andrew Scotting said he believed depression and anxiety related to his swimming career had contributed to the Olympian’s offending.

He added that he believed Miller had shown good prospects for rehabilitation after abstaining from drugs and gaining a degree in building and construction from Curtin University and even achieving top honors while behind bars.

Corrective Services told the court that Miller had been a model prisoner.

“I accept that the point has been reached that no further rehabilitation will be achieved by keeping him in prison,” Judge Scotting told the court.