Ben Cousins withdraws drug court application in Perth hearing
BEN Cousins still wants to go to rehab but does not want to be monitored by Perth’s drug court, his lawyer says.
The former AFL star looked calm, had a full beard and was wearing a T-shirt when he appeared in the drug court today, having previously pleaded guilty to 11 offences, including aggravated stalking, breaching a violence restraining order and drug possession.
Lawyer Michael Tudori said the Brownlow medallist was still “happy and willing” to go to rehab, but did not want the matter dealt with in the drug court, which monitors addicts.
People usually volunteer to have their case heard in the drug court, but Cousins was ordered last week to attend by a magistrate from the Perth suburb of Armadale, who said it would be better handled in the specialist court.
Cousins’ application to the drug court was formally withdrawn and the 38-year-old was remanded in custody to appear in the regular list at Perth Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
His parents were in court, and he smiled at them a few times during proceedings, but they declined to comment to reporters as they left.
Mr Tudori previously said Cousins’ time behind bars had been sobering and a rare opportunity had come up for a spot in a residential rehab program.
If the former West Coast captain enters that program, it will last at least six months.
But Mr Tudori expressed concern that the court process could cause Cousins to miss out on the opportunity.
The court also heard last week that Cousins’ phone calls were tapped in prison, and in one conversation he told his father he could quit whenever he wanted.
“I’m not going to stop. I don’t want to stop,” he said.
Mr Tudori said those calls were made earlier in his prison stint and he no longer felt that way.
When Cousins was arrested, he allegedly had eight grams of meth and told officers he had a high tolerance.
The VRO was taken out by his former partner Maylea Tinecheff, with whom he has two young children.
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Originally published as Ben Cousins will do rehab but his way
