Ex-Australia cricketer Stuart MacGill 'kidnapped and held at gunpoint' in Sydney

5 May 2021, 08:48

MacGill, left, played 44 Tests for Australia between 1998 and 2008
MacGill, left, played 44 Tests for Australia between 1998 and 2008. Picture: PA

By Patrick Grafton-Green

Former Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill was abducted and held at gunpoint in a targeted kidnapping in Sydney, police say.

New South Wales Police have arrested four men, aged 27, 29, 42 and 46, in connection with the alleged incident, which happened on April 14.

The leg spinner, 50, was allegedly confronted by a 46-year-old man in the suburb of Cremorne before two other men appeared and forced him into a car.

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Police said MacGill, who played 44 Tests for Australia between 1998 and 2008, was then driven to a property in Bringelly, 30 miles away.

There he is said to have been assaulted and threatened with a firearm.

MacGill suffered minor injuries but did not require medical treatment, police added.

He was later released and police will allege the 46-year-old man was known to MacGill.

Detective Acting Superintendent Anthony Holton said: "No ransom demands were made. Our belief is the motive was purely financial.

"He was seen as someone that they could get money from, although no money was paid prior to him being released."