Cousins drug charge dropped

[Judd3]

yeah ahhh, nice one police, it wasnt even a hard drug, just didnt have a script, big deal


WA police have decided to drop the drug possession charge hanging over Ben Cousins just a day after the disgraced eagle appeared in court.
Police prosecutors will go back to the Perth Magistrate's Court at 9am on Monday morning and apply to have the charge formally dropped. There remains the possibility a new charge may replace it. wwos com.au understands because the drug police will allege was found in Cousins's four wheel drive was not a prohibited substance, the charge had to be dropped. Prosecutors will consider whether to charge Cousins with possessing a prescription only drug without a script.
Police have only dropped the possession charge which is believed to relate to a prescription drug, although prosecutors did not table that in the Perth Magistrates Court yesterday.
Cousins will still have to face the charge of refusing to provide a blood test. His lawyer, Shane Brennan, successfully applied for a 90 day adjournment to the hearing of the charges. After yesterday's hearing, Mr Brennan said Cousins would plead not guilty.
Today he said the charge was doomed to fail. "In essence, Totally misconceived from the start," Mr Brennan said.
The 29 year old was sacked by the West Coast Eagles on Wednesday night after he was arrested and charged with possessing a prohibited drug and refusing to provide a blood sample for analysis by police.
The Eagles will not be reviewing their decision to sack Cousins as it was based on the fact Cousins had allegedly refused to cooperate with police for a third time. Club chairman-elect, Mark Barnaba, denies the club acted hastily. "The situation hasn't changed ... the decision the board took and the Eagles have taken is one which was due to an accumulation of events," Mr Barnaba said. "We're obviously still concerned about Ben's health and we want to put the club's resouces behind him but our decision hasn't changed.
Cousins may have not been sacked had he stuck to his original plan to fly to the United States shortly after the end of th
WA police have decided to drop the drug possession charge hanging over Ben Cousins just a day after the disgraced eagle appeared in court.
Police prosecutors will go back to the Perth Magistrate's Court at 9am on Monday morning and apply to have the charge formally dropped. There remains the possibility a new charge may replace it. wwos com.au understands because the drug police will allege was found in Cousins's four wheel drive was not a prohibited substance, the charge had to be dropped. Prosecutors will consider whether to charge Cousins with possessing a prescription only drug without a script.
Police have only dropped the possession charge which is believed to relate to a prescription drug, although prosecutors did not table that in the Perth Magistrates Court yesterday.
Cousins will still have to face the charge of refusing to provide a blood test. His lawyer, Shane Brennan, successfully applied for a 90 day adjournment to the hearing of the charges. After yesterday's hearing, Mr Brennan said Cousins would plead not guilty.
Today he said the charge was doomed to fail. "In essence, Totally misconceived from the start," Mr Brennan said.
The 29 year old was sacked by the West Coast Eagles on Wednesday night after he was arrested and charged with possessing a prohibited drug and refusing to provide a blood sample for analysis by police.
The Eagles will not be reviewing their decision to sack Cousins as it was based on the fact Cousins had allegedly refused to cooperate with police for a third time. Club chairman-elect, Mark Barnaba, denies the club acted hastily. "The situation hasn't changed ... the decision the board took and the Eagles have taken is one which was due to an accumulation of events," Mr Barnaba said. "We're obviously still concerned about Ben's health and we want to put the club's resouces behind him but our decision hasn't changed.
Cousins may have not been sacked had he stuck to his original plan to fly to the United States shortly after the end of the season to continue his rehabilitation at a Malibu clinic. Whether or not Cousins will be granted a visa to return to the United States with a charge hanging over his head will be a matter for US authorities.
Did the Eagles over-react?
Should they take him back?
e season to continue his rehabilitation at a Malibu clinic. Whether or not Cousins will be granted a visa to return to the United States with a charge hanging over his head will be a matter for US authorities.
Did the Eagles over-react?
Should they take him back?

[PAFC]

Prescription drugs can pretty much do the same thing, that's why you need a script.

[ravadongon]

He still refused a blood test and as a consequence breached his contract.

The WA police always wanted one back on him after Cuz (and Gardiner) refused to give them any info about the stabbing and shootings at Metro City nightclub, and that they got...

[jas929406]

It just goes to show that the new drug laws in WA have a few holes in it and the undercover police who made the arrest on Ben need to go back to the Police Acadamy to learn the right rules before they try to police it.

[dogsact]

You conveniently left out that a test on a $20 note in his car tested positive for recent traces of Cocaine and MDMA (Ecstacy). This and the fact he refused the blood test is evidence enough he has been at it. All it means is he will get off lightly. Fact and circumstance still means he has violated the guidelines set down by the club and AFL. The club was still right to sack him, and his career will remain dead for at least the time being.

[jas929406]

Originally Posted by dogsact

You conveniently left out that a test on a $20 note in his car tested positive for recent traces of Cocaine and MDMA (Ecstacy). This and the fact he refused the blood test is evidence enough he has been at it. All it means is he will get off lightly. Fact and circumstance still means he has violated the guidelines set down by the club and AFL. The club was still right to sack him, and his career will remain dead for at least the time being.

It seems you left out some other things as well dogsact.
It was a hired car that belonged to another player and Ben only got in the car 5 min before the cops picked him up.Also the 20 note did not have Bens DNA on it nor did it belong to him,another person in the car owned up to that $20 NOTE and the other prescribed drugs in the car....(except for the ones Ben had which the charges were droped).
So what if he refused a drug test on the side of the road its everyones right to refuse and take it to court.The new drug-driving law has only been in WA for 3 days and He was targeted by the undercover drug squad and Ben knew he was right to refuse because he had done nothing wrong with regards to breaking the law.

Im not sure and nor does anyone in this Forum know what the special conditions were he and the WCEFC had but obviously Ben broke them and WCE had no choice to sack him .We can all speculate but nobody knows.

Catch you later Benny boy,peace.

Hopefully he gets his sh+t together and lives a better life away from football.
I dont think he will play AFL football again but you never know.

[kryssy23]

i hear that he planning to sue the AFL, west coast and the police... so that should be interesting if he does

[jas929406]

Originally Posted by kryssy23

i hear that he planning to sue the AFL, west coast and the police... so that should be interesting if he does

Yeah Bens lawyer has said "I will certainly advise my client to ultimately pursue all legal opportunities open to him".
Its going to be very interesting to see how it all unfolds

[kryssy23]

i reckon considering this so called 'drug bust' has ended his footy career

[GreaT SourcE]

Originally Posted by kryssy23

i reckon considering this so called 'drug bust' has ended his footy career

Yeah and No. This and Chris Mainwarings death would have really hit home, and it would be a miracle if he can come back to footy successfully.