Fallen AFL premiership player Ben Cousins is facing two new drug charges stemming from his arrest earlier this year over an alleged family violence incident in Perth.
The 40-year-old drug addict was arrested in August during a disturbance at a Canning Vale house and was later allegedly found with 13 grams of methylamphetamine hidden in his rectum.
He has now been charged with a further two counts of possessing a prohibited drug and will appear in Armadale Magistrates Court on Friday via video link from Hakea prison.
Cousins faces a total of 18 offences including aggravated burglary, aggravated stalking and possessing a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply. Most charges relate to Cousins allegedly repeatedly breaching a violence restraining order taken out by his ex-partner Maylea Tinecheff.
The court previously heard on one occasion, Cousins sat in a car with Ms Tinecheff while holding a screwdriver and said: “I can’t wait to use it.” The former West Coast captain later allegedly threatened: “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to take your life and your freedom and the things you love the most.”
Cousins also allegedly said he was going to bury her car “where she would survive for a couple of days, then he would bring the kids to play so she would hear them but would not be able to get to them”.
The Brownlow medallist was released from Acacia prison in January about two months short of his one-year sentence for stalking Ms Tinecheff. He worked part-time at West Coast but left earlier this year. Cousins looked healthy and sported a neat beard during his last court appearance in October, as his family watched on.
He is scheduled to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on December 19 on the remaining 16 charges.
THE SAD FALL OF BEN COUSINS
2002 — Six years after his AFL debut with the West Coast Eagles and a year after becoming captain, Cousins punches teammate Daniel Kerr. Breaks his arm falling down nightclub stairs.
2005 — Wins Brownlow medal. He and teammate Michael Gardiner are quizzed by police about associations with colourful Perth identities John Kizon and Troy Mercanti, but won’t cooperate.
2006 — Abandons girlfriend in his car and swims across the Swan River to dodge a booze bus. Arrested after passing out in front of Melbourne’s Crown Casino and spends four hours in jail. Wins premiership with the Eagles.
2007 — Suspended from team for missing training. Goes to rehab in the US. Visits fellow Eagles champion Chris Mainwaring twice on the night he died of an overdose. Charged with drug offences that are later dropped but sacked from the club and banned from the AFL for one year. Returns to US rehab clinic but hospitalised after cocaine binge.
2008 — Re-registered by AFL and picked up by Richmond.
2010 — Hospitalised after severe reaction to sleeping medication. Retires from AFL. Releases autobiography.
2012 — Admitted to hospital after falling at a drug rehab clinic. Committed to a mental health unit with drug-induced psychosis. Pleads guilty to three drug charges and fined.
2015 — Arrested three times in two weeks and hospitalised twice for mental health checks. Leads police on a slow-speed car chase, breaches security at an SAS base, drives erratically outside a Sikh temple and climbs onto the roof of a two-storey home.
2016 — Behaves erratically on a highway, apparently directing traffic. In and out of court over drug offences and breaches of a violence restraining order taken out by his ex-partner and mother of his two children. Crashes head-on with a truck while high on meth and spends time in hospital.
2017 — Jailed for one year for repeatedly breaching VRO and calling his ex thousands of times. Fined for drug possession, driving without a licence and the truck crash.
2018 — Released from prison. Works part-time with the Eagles Community and Game Development department for three months then goes AWOL. Charged after a disturbance at a home where he allegedly breached the VRO, made threats and was found with meth. Police say he is “of no fixed address”.
