Troubled cricket great Michael Slater breaks his silence after facing court over alleged assault from police responding to domestic violence allegation
- Slater has appeared in court in Noosa
- Cricket legend pleaded not guilty to three charges
- Was involved in an incident with the police
Former Australian Test cricketer Michael Slater has pleaded not guilty to assaulting and obstructing Queensland police, describing the incident as a misunderstanding.
Slater, 53, spoke to the media after appearing before Noosa Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
He has been charged with one count of assaulting the police and two counts of obstructing the police.
Police allege officers were called just before midnight on March 31 to an address north of Brisbane in connection with an alleged domestic violence and medical incident.
The former opener and TV commentator obstructed officers at the Noosa Heads address and assaulted someone who had suffered a cut on his hand, police say.
Australian cricketing legend Michael Slater has broken his silence after appearing before Noosa Magistrates Court for an incident involving police carrying out a welfare check
Slater arrived at court on a Vespa-style scooter and pleaded not guilty to one count of assaulting police and two counts of obstructing police
The troubled cricketing great had a long and successful career for Australia before moving into broadcasting (pictured on camera during an Ashes Test in 2013)
Slater described the incident with police as a “misunderstanding” and the case will be called in early July after he pleaded not guilty.
Slater said the incident happened during a “mental health dip.”
“It was an unfortunate situation that night where it was a welfare check on my mental health,” he said outside court.
“I had a good friend reach out. The police did their job and they came to the door, and I was really shocked and more or less tried to deny them access to my apartment and that’s basically the amount.
Then the ambulance came. I spent the night in the hospital for observation and then everything is pretty much back to normal.’
Slater said he would continue to work hard on his mental health, telling reporters it had been an ongoing battle for several years.
“It was very embarrassing, I think, on a personal level to go through everything that happened… I’ve lost a lot over the years,” he said.
“I have made some mistakes and I think there have been some untruths as well.
“But we are fighting hard to get things under control and life is not easy, but I have three beautiful children where my focus is and looking for a job.”
Slater is pictured leaving a court in Noosa on the back of a Vespa style scooter
The Aussie cricketing legend played 74 Tests for Australia, opening the batting and hitting 14 centuries
Asked if there was a need to talk more about former sports stars and their mental health, Slater said, “I still think there are a lot of gaps that can be filled, but certainly retired athletes, there’s a list of struggles in retirement.”
‘Not that my pension was bad. I worked in TV for 20 years and then you know it was kind of a snowball effect.’
After debuting on the 1993 Ashes tour, Slater played 74 Tests for Australia, amassing 5312 runs at an average of 42.83 with 14 tons.
He also played 42 one-day internationals.
Slater retired from cricket in 2004 and embarked on a successful TV commentary career.
His case will be presented to Noosa Magistrates Court on July 4, having pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
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