- Former butterfly champion spent three years in prison
- The star of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics has been released on parole
- Considered to have a low risk of recidivism
A former Olympic swimmer jailed for his “central role” in a Sydney meth and heroin ring will leave prison today after more than three years behind bars.
Scott Miller, 49, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison in late 2022 after pleading guilty to large-scale commercial drug trafficking.
The butterfly champion admitted transporting $2.2 million worth of meth from Sydney to the regional town of Yass with a co-accused in 2021.
After three years in prison, the Parole Authority announced Friday that it had granted parole to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Swimmer Scott Miller with his medals he won at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta
The former swimmer was found guilty of transporting $2.2 million worth of meth with a co-accused 280km from Sydney to the regional town of Yass
In their judgment, NSW Community Corrections said Miller was at low risk of reoffending and had continued his tertiary studies behind bars.
“Mr. Miller has a long history of substance abuse and appears to have some insight into this problematic behavior,” Community Corrections reported.
They recommended that Miller be released on parole, including a ban on any drug use and no contact with his former accomplices.
Miller broke into the world of international swimming at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, where he won in the butterfly and medley relays.
Miller won the silver medal in the butterfly at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta before his life took a different trajectory
He then competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where he set a new Olympic record for the time in the 100-meter butterfly.
Miller was awarded the silver medal before returning to Australia in 1999 to briefly marry TV personality Charlotte Dawson.
The 49-year-old was initially denied parole in January after subsequent drug supply charges were laid and he was deemed an ‘unconvicted offender’.
These cases were resolved in the NSW District Court last month, allowing the Olympian to apply for release again; this time it was allowed.