The grip of addiction: Ben Cousins is hauled to court after 'testing positive to meth' - just days after being spotted playing in the park with his kids as he awaits trial for 'threatening his ex'
- Ben Cousins arrested drug test showed traces of amphetamines he's addicted to
- Magistrate let him off with a final warning the next day, continuing his bail
- Days earlier he was photographed playing with his children near home in Perth
- Ex-girlfriend Maylea Tinecheff was also there, despite a restraining order
- Hours later he was having dinner with an old friend and brothel owner
Ben Cousins has been arrested for allegedly failing a drug test in breach of his bail - just days after he was seen happily playing in a park with his children.
A urine sample the fallen AFL star provided last month allegedly contained amphetamines, which he has been addicted to for years.
Cousins, 41, is awaiting trial in September on 14 charges alleging he stalked and threatened his ex-girlfriend Maylea Tinecheff.
Ben Cousins has been arrested for failing a drug test in breach of his bail - just days after he was seen happily playing in a park with his children
Police arrived on Friday at his parents' home in Bicton, Perth, where he is living, and took him into custody
Police arrived on Friday at his parents' home in Bicton, Perth, where he is living, and took him into custody.
The Brownlow Medalist faced court on Saturday where he was released on bail with a warning he would be thrown back in jail if he breached conditions again.
The court also heard two other samples last month were discarded due to temperature or creatinine levels.
Cousins rescheduled three tests, claiming they clashed with work commitments or counselling meetings.
Ben Cousins (right) was on Monday afternoon spending time with his children and his ex-partner Maylea Tinecheff (left) at a park near his parents' home in Bicton, Perth
Cousins, 41, will go on trial in September over 14 charges alleging he stalked and threatened Ms Tinecheff (pictured together in a file photo)
His arrest was just days after he was seen kicking a football with his son Bobby, seven, his daughter Angelique, five, and Ms Tinecheff in a park near his parents' home on Monday.
'I'm good mate, really good,' Cousins told Daily Mail Australia with a smile as he walked back to the two-storey house.
'I'm just enjoying a nice day with my kids.'
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Police are investigating whether he breached a domestic violence restraining order by meeting with Ms Tinecheff.
However, his lawyer Michael Tudori told The West Australian they were permitted contact in relation to their children and he had no breached the order.
Cousins appeared fit and healthy, kicking the ball to Bobby and Angelique with the poise of his champion years.
Cousins (pictured) appeared fit and healthy, kicking the ball to Bobby and Angelique with the poise of his champion years
The doting dad was in good spirits, seemingly cheerful as they happily played for more than half-an-hour under a cloudless sky.
Since he was released on bail in April, he has been visited by his children every weekend and during the school holidays.
His children happily called out 'dad' and he was seen affectionately ruffling Bobby's hair.
Cousins has often spoken of his love for his children and the pain of not seeing them when denied access or behind bars.
'Every day I close my eyes when the sun goes down and I spew that it's another day I'm not going to be with my children,' he said when begging a magistrate for his freedom last year.
The doting dad (pictured with his son) was in good spirits, seeming cheerful as they happily played for more than half-an-hour under a cloudless sky
Cousins (right) has often spoken of his love for his children and the pain of not seeing them when denied access or behind bars
Cousins on Monday had shaved off the scraggly beard he sported when leaving court, but kept his long hair.
His skin was bronzed from a fake tanning session two weeks ago, when he posed naked in a snap posted to Facebook by the beautician.
Cousins, Ms Tinecheff, and their children drove away soon after wrapping up in the park, with his former partner driving.
Later that evening he tucked into a bowl of ramen at Asian restaurant Pachi Pachi with brothel owner Mary-Anne Kenworthy.
The 63-year-old, who runs escort agency Langtrees VIP, is an old friend of Cousins and even let him live with her when he had nowhere else to go in autumn 2018.
Ben Cousins (pictured in Pachi Pachi in Perth on Monday night) enjoyed dinner with a madam just hours after playing with his two children at home
The troubled former AFL star (left), 41, enjoyed a bowl of ramen (right) with millionaire brothel owner Mary-Anne Kenworthy at Perth Asian restaurant Pachi Pachi
She posted a picture of Cousins enjoying the meet-up on Twitter with the caption: 'Had a lovely meal at Pachi Pachi tonight with Ben Cousins.
'He is looking great, a healthy appetite. We discussed social media and learning together to move forward positively and wisely'.
Mary-Anne Kenworthy (pictured) said she is like an aunty to Ben Cousins
Ms Kenworthy added in a comment underneath the photo: 'He is a pleasure to be with when he is behaving.'
She later told Daily Mail Australia: 'I'm like an aunty to him - we often have dinner and I tell it to him straight.'
The madam said she first met Cousins at a function several years ago when he offered her a cigarette.
'I remember he treated all the old ladies just as nicely as he treated the beautiful blondes,' she said.
'All I can say he's a very pleasant person to be around and he's a lovely man.'
When Cousins moved out of Ms Kenworthy's home in July 2018, she said: 'When he's good, he's very, very good and when he's bad he's not with the world of the living.'
'He had it all too easy and he just hasn’t got the reality of life,' she added.
Neighbours painted a picture of a fallen superstar desperately trying to reclaim his life from drugs.
Cousins looked relaxed as he played he kicked a Richmond Tigers footy with his kids. It was one of two AFL clubs he played for during his illustrious career
Police allege Cousins bombarded Ms Tinecheff with dozens of phone calls and texts and showed up at her house numerous times (pictured together in a file photo)
Cousins (pictured) on Monday had shaved off the scraggly beard he sported when leaving court, but kept his long hair
They said he could be seen playing football in the two nearby parks or pushing Angelique on her bike every weekend and sometimes during the week.
During school holidays they were around at least three days a week.
'He's always around, he's polite, the kids are polite,' one neighbour said.
'This weekend he gave us ahoy because the boy kicked a football over the fence into our garden. He asked politely if they could have it back. The little boy said thanks very much.'
The neighbour said Cousins always seemed happy, cheerful - and always said hello.
Cousins (pictured) looks at ease as he calmly boots the ball on Monday with his two children at Western Australian park
Cousins' skin was bronzed from a fake tanning session two weeks ago where he posed naked in a snap posted to Facebook
Locals painted a picture of a fallen superstar (pictured on Monday) desperately trying to reclaim his life from drugs
'I have great admiration for him as a footy player, it's just a pity he has an addictive personality,' they said.
'He seems to be trying very hard to get his life straighten out and he's certainly great with the kids.'
Several neighbours said people come and go on the weekend but they were not sure if they were friends of Cousins or his parents.
'His parents are lovely. It's really sad how it's all turned out,' another neighbour said.
'He seems to be getting his life back on track and hopefully it stays that way.'
Cousins is facing 12 charges of breaching a family violence restraining order, along with a count each of aggravated stalking and threatening to injure, endanger or harm.
A neighbour said of Cousins: 'He seems to be trying very hard to get his life straighten out and he's certainly great with the kids'
Cousins (pictured in a file photo) was arrested at his ex-partner's home last August and spent months behind bars until his release on bail in April
The Brownlow medallist is facing 12 charges of breaching a family violence restraining order, along with a count each of aggravated stalking and threatening to injure, endanger or harm
Police allege Cousins bombarded Ms Tinecheff with dozens of phone calls and texts and showed up at her house numerous times.
'I'm going to kill you. I'm going to take your life and your freedom and the things you love the most,' he allegedly told her.
Cousins also allegedly said he was going to bury her in a car 'where she would survive for a couple of days, then he would bring the kids to play so she would hear them but would not be able to get to them'.
He was arrested at her home last August and spent months behind bars until his release on bail in April.
Cousins was in March fined $1,750 for possessing meth and hiding it up his anus.
THE TROUBLED LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN COUSINS:
1996 - Makes AFL debut with West Coast and is named the league's Rising Star
2001 - Named club captain of West Coast at age 23
2002 - Breaks his arm falling down a flight of stairs at a nightclub months after punching his teammate Daniel Kerr
2005 - (May) Is quizzed by police about association with underworld identities
- (September) Wins Brownlow medal as the AFL's best and fairest player
2006 - (February) Swims across a Perth river to escape a booze bus
- (September) Wins AFL premiership with the Eagles
- (December) Is arrested after passing out in front of Melbourne's Crown Casino and spends four hours in jail
2007 - (March) Suspended by West Coast after missing training session
- (April) Goes to a drug rehabilitation facility in the US
- (October) Revealed to have visited fellow Eagles legend Chris Mainwaring twice on the night he died of a drug overdose
- (October) Arrested and charged with drug offences that are later dropped
- (November) Eventually sacked by West Coast and banned from the AFL for one year
2008 - AFL re-registers Cousins and he is signed by Richmond
2010 - Retires from the AFL but releases autobiography and documentary
Cousins has been charged with drug possession and refusing a drug test in 2007, but the charges were later dropped
2015 - Arrested three times before leading police on a slow-speed car chase
2016 - (June) Spotted behaving erratically and directing traffic on a highway
- (October) In and out of court over drug offences and breaches a restraining order taken out by his ex-partner
2017 - Jailed for one year for breaching restraining order by calling his ex-lover thousands of times
2018 - (January) Released from jail on parole just 10 months into his sentence
He takes up a community support role with the West Coast Eagles - a requirement of his parole conditions
- (May): Reports emerge he hasn't been seen at the club for a month
The club confirms the he told officials in April he no longer wanted the job
- (August) Arrested and charged with drug possession and breaching a restraining order
2019 - (February) He was fined $1,750 for possessing meth and hiding it up his anus while in jail
(March) Cousins pleaded not guilty to 14 offences in court, including breaching a family violence restraining order and a count each of aggravated stalking and threatening to injure, endanger or harm
(April) Cousins is released from jail on bail after eight months inside, his trial date has been set for September
