Sky News reported that Michael Slater was charged with two new counts of common assault and one count of attempt to stalk or intimidate intend fear of physical or mental harm.
According to the ABC, Slater was first charged in October last year after he allegedly stalked, intimidated and harassed his ex-wife following an alleged domestic violence incident. The charges were dismissed on mental health grounds.
Several women have said that he abused, stalked, threatened, and intimidated them. According to the Herald Sun, one of those women “said the former cricketer, who is believed to be in a Sydney mental health facility again after breaching bail conditions, is manipulating the system by using mental health grounds as an excuse for his behaviour.”
This should enough to lose him “cricketing great” status. It should be enough to recognise that he wasn’t “hit” with charges. He is not the victim of these charges, they are consequences of his alleged choices and actions.
It should be enough, but it seems that it’s not for Sky News.
Maybe journalists and editors could skip the stage of labelling him “embattled” and the one calling him “disgraced” and just call this what it is: allegations of serial abuse by a man who doesn’t appear to believe he should experience any consequences for his choices.
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