Michael Slater, the former Australian Test cricketer, has been handed a four-year prison sentence, partly suspended, after pleading guilty to a string of domestic violence charges.
Despite the severity of the offences, the 55-year-old will be released, having already served more than a year in custody following a bail denial in 2024.
Slater, who represented Australia in 74 Tests between 1993 and 2001, admitted to multiple charges, including:
Two counts of common assault, one count of unlawful striking, one count of assault occasioning bodily harm, burglary and two counts of strangulation.
Delivering the sentence, Judge Glen Cash addressed Slater’s battle with addiction, stating: “Alcoholism is part of your make-up… It’s obvious that you are an alcoholic, and your rehabilitation will not be easy.”
Slater’s mental and physical state has deteriorated significantly since his legal troubles began. In April 2024, he collapsed in a Queensland court after being denied bail, requiring assistance from prison officers. He has been in custody ever since.
During his cricketing career, Slater was one of Australia’s most dynamic opening batsmen, scoring over 5,000 runs, including 14 centuries and 21 fifties, before retiring from international cricket in 2001.
He later transitioned into broadcasting, working with Channel 4 in the UK and later with Australia’s Seven Network, which dropped him in 2021.
This is not Slater’s first brush with the law. In 2022, he was sentenced to a two-year community corrections order by a Sydney court after pleading guilty to common assault and attempted stalking.
Once celebrated on the field, Slater’s fall from grace underscores a complex battle with addiction and a series of legal troubles that have derailed his post-cricket life.
