The Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected former Australia Test cricketer Michael Slater's appplication for bail after he was charged four-and-a-half months ago for 25 offences, including choking, stalking and assault.
He has been in custody since then.
Slater, who featured in 74 Test matches for Australia, is accused of choking a woman at his house in December 2023 and sending her abusive messages. Allegedly Slater grabbed the woman by the arms and knocked her backwards.
"The allegation is that it caused restriction to her breathing and bruising to her neck," Justice Paul Freeburn said, as quoted by AAP.
The woman had come to Slater's house to return his dog when the argument began.
The 54-year-old Slater had been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder before besides having a history of mental health conditions, the court was told.
"It's not only the seriousness of the offences that is of concern but also the number and persistence of the offending," Justice Freeburn said, adding that Slater's criminal history also included offences related to domestic violence.
The court refused bail on the basis that it can't ignore that there are chances of Slater further offending as he has breached bail and failed to comply with a domestic violence order before.
"It is difficult to be confident or even have a modest degree of confidence that Slater would comply with any bail conditions such as a no-contact condition, even from Sydney," Justice Freeburn said.
