Former AFL star Ben Cousins has been released on bail after appearing in a West Australian country magistrates court charged with breaching bail conditions following a drugs arrest at Esperance Airport.
Police confirmed a 33-year-old Bicton man was arrested at 7.15pm on Tuesday night, after arriving at the airport where they were waiting for him.
He was charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply, and released under bail conditions that stipulated he remain in Esperance.
However, he was caught trying to leave town the next day and appeared in Esperance Magistrates Court, about 750km southeast of Perth, on Wednesday afternoon.
A clerk at the court confirmed to AAP that Cousins had appeared and been released to an address in Perth on altered bail conditions.
The clerk said he was not in police custody and had been ordered to reappear in Perth Magistrates Court on April 2. Cousins, a confessed methamphetamine addict, had been attending a drug rehabilitation centre in Esperance called Teen Challenge.
It's believed he had been undergoing rehab for the past month, but had recently been seen in Perth with his partner, Maylea Tinecheff, and their young baby, Bobby Ernest. Cousins spent several days in Perth's Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in January after hitting his head while undergoing rehab at a specialist clinic.
It was believed he fell and hit his head on a wash basin and the floor, suffering injuries to his head and neck.
The footballer, who has had a very public battle with methamphetamine addiction over the years, was one of the most decorated West Coast Eagles players, winning the 2005 Brownlow Medal and playing in their 2006 premiership side before the club sacked him in late 2007 because of his drug use.
He was suspended for 12 months by the AFL for bringing the game into disrepute before ending his playing career with the Richmond Tigers in 2010. He welcomed his first child in September.
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