Canberra Raiders youngster Chevy Stewart has avoided a criminal conviction after an alcohol-fuelled incident at a Sydney venue caused close to $5,000 worth of damage.
The fullback pleaded guilty to one count of destroying or damaging property following an incident at the Northies Cronulla Hotel last September.
The court heard Stewart had been drinking with friends at a gaming machine around 9.45pm when he lost and splashed what was described as a “very small” amount of liquid from his drink onto the machine’s screen.
While Stewart initially walked away unaware of the damage, the liquid caused the machine to short-circuit, plunging the entire gaming room into darkness.
An agreed statement of facts tendered to the court revealed other patrons later attempted to use the machine before power to the room was lost entirely.
Magistrate Jillian Kiely described the act as a “very immature reaction to losing”, noting alcohol likely played a role despite the small volume of liquid involved.
Importantly, the court accepted Stewart did not deliberately intend to damage the machine.
He immediately offered to pay for the repairs when spoken to by venue security and reiterated his willingness to cover the costs when questioned by police. Stewart had already compensated the venue in full prior to sentencing.
Magistrate Kiely also acknowledged Stewart’s “immediate remorse” and strong character references, describing him as a young man of good character who had never been in trouble before.
The court heard Stewart had been under significant strain at the time and remained deeply passionate about his rugby league career.
Stewart was supported by family members and a Raiders staff member at Sutherland Local Court, where he was handed a 12-month conditional release order without conviction.
The order requires him to commit no further offences during that period.
The magistrate warned such behaviour could jeopardise his future in the NRL, but added there was no doubt the youngster would “think twice before doing it again”.
