Fallen footy star Ben Barba is charged with assaulting his brother-in-law and is refused bail
- Former NRL star Ben Barba charged after he allegedly assaulted brother-in-law
- Arrested in Mackay before charged with assault occasioning bodily harm
- Barba, 32, will spend two nights in custody before reappearing in court on Friday
Fallen NRL star Ben Barba has been charged with assaulting his brother-in-law and will spend at least two nights in custody.
Barba, 32, appeared in Mackay Local Court on Thursday morning after he was arrested by Queensland Police the previous day.
Barba has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm against Adrian Currie in an alleged incident at East Mackay.
Further details about the allegation are yet to emerge.
Disgraced former NRL star ben Barba (pictured with his partner Ainslie Currie) has been charged over the alleged assault of his brother-in-law
Ben Barba (pictured in 2019) will spend at least two nights in custody over the alleged assault
Barba appeared in court via videolink, where he refused bail to reappear on Friday, according to the Courier-Mail.
No bail application has been made at this stage.
The man once regarded as one of the best rugby league players in the world faces up to seven years behind bars if convicted.
The former Dally M player of the year was sacked by the North Queensland Cowboys and banned from the NRL in early February 2019 after an investigation revealed he had been involved in a physical altercation with his partner Ainslie Currie a week earlier on Australia Day.
His $400,000 one year deal was torn up - without him playing a single game for the Cowboys - before Barba later started a $20-an-hour job as a metal worker.
Barba played the last of his 202 NRL games for the Cronulla Sharks, when they won their maiden premiership in 2016. He was sacked by the club just days later for cocaine possession.
Share this article
Footy bad boy Ben Barba (pictured) worked at a metal workshop in Mackay after his NRL contract was torn up in 2019
Barba resurrected his career overseas after a series of controversies in Australia.
After a brief stint with French rugby union team Toulon, Barba returned to form while playing for St Helens in 2018, when he was crowned the Man of Steel for best player in the English Super League.
It made him only the second player to have both the Dally M and Man of Steel awards on his mantelpiece.
Barba was recently linked to a possible move to the US to play rugby league, before making a comeback last month for the Mackay Cutters.
He lined up in the number seven jersey for the Cutters in a Kanaka Proud Cup match against Rockhampton four weeks ago, Central Queensland Today reported.
The 2016 NRL grand final won by Cronulla was Ben Barba's last game at the top level
BEN BARBA'S FALL FROM GRACE
July 2008 - Makes his NRL debut for Canterbury, in a 30-0 loss to St George Illawarra.
March 2009 - Gets into a drunken fight with Bulldogs teammates Jamal Idris and Lee Te Maari in a Wentworthville hotel. Is dropped to reserve grade for the majority of the season.
2012 - Scores 22 tries to claim the Dally M Medal and take the Bulldogs to the grand final. They lose to Melbourne but Barba becomes one of the most marketable players in the game.
February 2013 - Stood down by the Bulldogs, citing behavioural reasons. Enters rehabilitation for gambling and alcohol issues.
August 2013 - Released from the final two years of his contract with Canterbury to sign with Brisbane for the 2014 season on a two-year deal. The Broncos pay an undisclosed amount to the Bulldogs for the transfer.
Barba joined a Mackay company in 2019 which specialises in making aluminium roller doors - as a metal worker, learning his new trade for a salary of roughly $39,000-a-year
September 2013 - Images allegedly showing injuries inflicted by Barba to his ex-partner are made public. An investigation by the NRL clears Barba of any wrongdoing and he is never charged over the matter.
November 2014 - Is told to look elsewhere by incoming Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett. Signs with Cronulla on a three-year deal that will keep him at the club until the end of 2017.
October 2016 - Claims his first premiership with Cronulla after returning to near career-best form. Scores 16 tries in 27 games for the Sharks, including the opening four-pointer in their grand final win over Melbourne.
November 2016 - Released by Cronulla after reports emerge he has tested positive to cocaine four days after the grand final, and faces a 12-match ban. Heads to Thailand for rehabilitation.
February 2017 - Joined French rugby union team Toulon on a two-year deal.
May 2017 - Parts ways with Toulon after being told he was no longer needed the following season. Signs with Super League club St Helens on a two-year deal.
September 2018 - Signs a one-year deal with North Queensland following a strong season with St Helens, scoring 28 tries.
October 2018 - Claimed the Super League Man of Steel medal award.
February 2019 - Sacked by North Queensland for a significant breach of contract before playing a game for the club.
December 2021: Will spend at least two nights in custody after he was charged over the alleged assault of his brother-in-law
