Stuart MacGill with his girlfriend Maria O’Meagher – who is the sister of one of the men accused of kidnapping the star cricketer
The brother of Stuart MacGill’s restaurateur girlfriend is accused of kidnapping the one-time star cricketer on the streets of Sydney’s lower north shore, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.
NSW Police will allege in court that Marino Sotiropoulos, 46, confronted MacGill near his home at Cremorne about 8pm on April 14.
Sotiropoulos is the sibling of Maria O’Meagher, MacGill’s girlfriend. MacGIll and O’Meagher run the popular Aristotle Greek restaurant in Neutral Bay.
Police will allege that during the street confrontation, two other men allegedly appeared and forced MacGill into a vehicle.
He was then allegedly taken to a remote property in Bringelly, in the city’s greater west, where police claim he was threatened with a gun.
Sotiropoulos has been charged with take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm, participating in a criminal group and supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.
MacGill took six days to report the alleged kidnapping to police because the apparent incident had instilled ‘significant fear’ in him, officers said. Police said the cricketer was ‘purely’ a victim of crime.
Cricket legend Stuart MacGill was taken away from his home in Cremorne to give a statement on Wednesday morning after four men – including the brother of his girlfriend – were arrested
Stuart MacGill is the general manager of the Greek restaurant Aristotle in Neutral Bay. His girlfriend, Maria O’Meagher, is the owner. It is not suggested she had any role in the alleged kidnapping
One of the four men arrested by police in relation to the alleged kidnapping of former Australian spin bowler Stuart MacGill
Another of the arrested men is bundled out of a police wagon following a series of raids on Wednesday
According to a police timeline, MacGill was allegedly kidnapped in Cremorne, driven to Bringelly in the city’s west and then released in Belmore
Two of the other men who have been placed before the courts are Frederick Schaaf, 27, and his brother Richard, 29, who is linked to the Comanchero.
They were arrested in Caringbah and Sutherland respectively during police raids on Wednesday morning.
Both were charged with participating in a criminal group and taking/detaining in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm.
A 42-year-old man was charged with knowingly directing the activities of a criminal group and a similar kidnapping offence.
Each of the men faced Sutherland Local Court after midday. There is no suggestion of any involvement by Ms O’Meagher whatsoever.
Police Robbery and Serious Crime Squad commander Anthony Holton told reporters that the motive behind MacGill’s abduction was unknown, but confirmed MacGill had a ‘personal relationship’ with one of the accused.
The acting detective superintendent said ‘yes’ when asked if a mate had turned on him.
Despite friends claiming MacGill was facing financial difficulties, the acting detective superintendent said it was not related to the cricketer owing a debt.
‘I can say his kidnapping is not involved in any other backstory that leads to him having a personal debt to other people that he had to pay back,’ Supt Holton said.
‘He’s purely being treated as a victim of this kidnapping’.
An hour after arriving at the Bringelly address, MacGill, who played 44 Test matches for Australia and three One Day Internationals, was then driven to the Belmore area, in the city’s south-west, where he was released and dumped by his alleged attackers, police said.
As detectives from the Robbery and Serious Crime Squad continued to probe the incident on Wednesday morning, MacGill was led out of his luxury apartment by plain clothed detectives and taken to a waiting police car, just before 11am.
MacGill, who was wearing jeans and a hoodie, crouched in the back of the unmarked SUV as it drove off towards a nearby police station where he is understood to have given a statement about the April 14 alleged attack.
‘We believe the motive was purely financial, to obtain money from him,’ police said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
‘They are a criminal gang, it was a targetted kidnapping with the motivate to take money from him with no ransom.’
Shortly before 11am on Wednesday morning, MacGill was led out of his luxury apartment (pictured) by plain clothed detectives and taken to a waiting police car
Four men have been arrested after Stuart MacGill was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint
Police allege the former Australian Test cricketer was confronted by a 46-year-old man near the intersection of Parraween and Winne Streets in Cremorne on Wednesday April 14
Two other men then allegedly arrived at the scene and the 50-year-old leg-spinner was forced into a car where he was driven to a home in western Sydney and threatened at gun point
Four men – aged 27, 29, 42 and 46 – were arrested by police at about 6am on Wednesday.
They were taken to local police stations for questioning while police carried out raids on homes in Sutherland, Caringbah, Brighton Le-Sands, Banksia and Marrickville.
A detective is seen on Wednesday after it was revealed MacGill was allegedly kidnapped
Cricket legend Stuart MacGill (pictured in 2006) was allegedly assaulted and held for ransom in Sydney
Stuart MacGill is seen with ex-wife Rachel Friend back in 2005. The couple had two children together
Stuart MacGill appeals unsuccessfully for a wicket at Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2001
A 27-year-old man was arrested at Caringbah, while a 29-year-old man was arrested at Sutherland. The pair were both charged with participate criminal group contribute criminal activity and take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasion actual bodily harm.
A 46-year-old man was arrested at Brighton Le Sands, while a 42-year-old man was arrested at Banksia.
Police said the older man was charged with take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasion actual bodily harm, participate criminal group contribute criminal activity and supply prohibited drug.
The younger man was charged with knowingly direct activities of criminal group and take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasion actual bodily harm.
All four men were refused bail and are due to face Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday.
MacGill was in the news back in 2019 after he was caught behind the wheel while almost three times over the legal limit.
He had an ‘unknown number of glasses of red wine’ when police pulled him over on Military Road, in Sydney’s north shore, late on November 21, 2019.
In 2017, he agreed to an apprehended violence order (AVO) taken out by police on behalf of his ex-girlfriend Julie Singleton.
Police applied for the order after an incident between MacGill and Ms Singleton – the ex-wife of multi-millionaire John Singleton – in December 2016.
MacGill had been working at Aristotle’s Neutral Bay with his current partner before he was allegedly abducted. He is pictured at the restaurant with former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (second from the left)
MacGill played 44 Test matches for Australia and three One Day Internationals. He is pictured in 2005
He was served the AVO on Boxing Day that year and later agreed to it in court without admitting fault.
MacGill has two kids with ex-wife Rachel Friend. He married the former Neighbours actress in 2000 before separating in 2013.
MacGill, who is originally from Perth, made his Test debut in Adelaide against South Africa in 1998.
He has been acknowledged as having the best strike-rate of any modern spin bowler but was unlucky to find himself in the mix at the same time as cricket legend Shane Warne.
He struggled to hold his place in the squad as there was hesitation to have two wrist-spinners at once.
MacGill retired from Test cricket in 2008.
MacGill has been general manager of Aristotle’s, a modern Greek restaurant in Neutral Bay, for more than three years
MacGill (pictured in 2007), who is originally from Perth, made his Test debut in Adelaide against South Africa in 1998
