Three-time Hawthorn premiership winner and reality star Brian Lake has avoided being jailed after poking a security guard in the nose.
The drunken insult saw Lake hauled back before the court after he was charged over the outrageous poke, which was technically a breach of a previous community based order he received for a stalking incident.
Lake got lucky when police failed to charge him over the breach and instead stung him with just one count of unlawful assault, which he pleaded guilty to.
Three time Hawthorn premiership winner and reality star Brian Lake (seen with estranged wife Shannon) was banned from playing AFL at any level after spate of incidents
Brian Lake as he appeared in Survivor in 2018
Brian Lake has found himself in more hot water after a year out of the spotlight
His lawyer, William Parker, had previously told the court the matter was at such a ‘low level’ he did not believe it constituted a breach.
Lake had originally been sentenced over a terrifying matter that saw him film his victim in her home.
On Friday, court documents revealed Lake was drunk as a skunk when his mate was refused entry into Melbourne’s Crown Casino.
Lake had been with his manager at the time, who wisely told his client to keep on moving.
Lake didn’t listen.
Mr Parker said a combination of ‘immaturity and frustration’ saw Lake poke the security guard on the side of the nose as the men walked away.
The court heard Lake had now stopped binge drinking and had successfully completed treatment for his alcohol condition, which was part of the community order that expired a month after the blatant breach.
In sentencing Lake, Magistrate Timothy Bourke accepted the matter was relatively minor and that Lake was sorry for his actions.
‘Mr Lake is a person who some in the community may look up to. There is no reason why he should not continue down the path of rehabilitation,’ he said.
‘A sentence of imprisonment is a sentence of last resort. No purpose would be served in sentencing Mr Lake to a term of imprisonment for this matter.
‘There is no evidence before me that Mr Lake requires ongoing intervention in his life by the Criminal Justice system for behavioural or anti-social issues which may have been prevalent at or around the time of the charge.’
Mr Bourke was convicted and fined Lake $900.
Lake ended his nine-year marriage before leaving for Fiji to film the reality TV show Survivor for three months in 2018
Lake was a Hawthorn champion in his prime
Lake, who retired from the Hawks in 2015, has had numerous run-ins with the law in recent years, including a stint in a Japanese jail.
The Survivor 2018 contestant has made no secret of a painful split from his wife in earlier cryptic posts about her on Instagram.
He also posted a photo of himself hugging his two children while his wife looks on.
‘Family is everything,’ he posted.
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Lake ended his nine-year marriage before leaving for Fiji to film the reality TV show Survivor for three months in 2018.
In July 2018, after Lake’s arrest in Japan, his friend, Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney, expressed concern for him.
The troubled footy legend, 37, shared his de-registration letter to Instagram with the caption ‘tag a mate that’s had a worse 12 months than me’
The 38-year-old was held under strict conditions in the Osaka police station for six days, during which he was given just three bowls of rice per day.
He had been celebrating a win in the Asian AFL with his team, the Indonesian Volcanoes, prior to being detained by authorities in Osaka.
In October that year, he admitted he needed professional help after a photo of him in a toilet with lines of a white substance went viral on social media.
The photo showed him in a toilet cubicle at the Caulfield Cup event with a line of a white substance on his mobile phone.
He claimed he was ready to put an end to his ‘self-destruction’ and head to Asia to seek professional help from a drug and alcohol facility.
‘The decision has come in recent weeks after reflecting on some of the incidents that have taken place and I must accept that I need to improve my health,’ Lake said at the time.
