Michael-Slater

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Former Australian cricketer Michael Slater has been charged with new criminal charges for assaulting and intimidating a 35-year-old woman. Slater was arrested in Syndey on Friday morning for an incident reported on April 26 in Manly Police station. However, he pleaded not guilty before the magistrate later in the day.

According to police statements, the alleged assault occurred just hours after charges relating to a separate incident (domestic violence) in 2021 were dismissed on mental health grounds.

“About 9.20pm (Tuesday 26 April 2022), officers attached to Northern Beaches Police Area Command were called to a unit on West Promenade, Manly,” police said in a statement. “On arrival, police were told a 52-year-old man had allegedly assaulted a 35-year-old woman.”

However, Slater has been granted a conditional bail on the condition he does not contact the alleged victim or use any alcohol or illegal drugs. Meanwhile, police have applied for a provisional apprehended violence order on behalf of the alleged victim. The ex-Aussie cricketer will now return to fight these charges in January.

Earlier, on April 27, Michael Slater was granted bail in the domestic violence case on mental health grounds. The court dismissed charges that Slater stalked or intimidated his ex-partner and used a carriage service to menace or harass her. However, a police prosecutor told Waverley Local Court that day that Slater was 'detained' by police and ambulance officers the previous night when he was hospitalized for mental health reasons.

The magistrate, Ross Hudson, meanwhile, reckoned that the cricketer’s mental health seemed to have unraveled and his texts to his ex-wife were a ‘cry for help’. Hence, all the charges on Slater were quashed and he was granted bail. The court had also ordered at least three months in the mental health unit for the former cricketer.