Bird doing bird : Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:48 am  

Sorry guys...he's got 8 months !!

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 6:44 am  

but has appealed and is now out on bail and heading back to Europe...

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:15 am  

Oh ffs! How can you leave the country on parole?

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:49 am  

belgianxiii wrote: Oh ffs! How can you leave the country on parole? Ask the NSW Department of Public Prosecutions - they didn't object to him being allowed to return to France. He has a job, a house and a partner there after all. He's on bail until the appeal is heard. He's also a fairly low flight risk considering his high profile. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25670841-5001021,00.html Bad news for the Dragons on the field but you can hardly feel sorry for him. A great player on the field, but clearly prone to violence off it...

belgianxiii wrote: Oh ffs! How can you leave the country on parole? Ask the NSW Department of Public Prosecutions - they didn't object to him being allowed to return to France. He has a job, a house and a partner there after all. He's on bail until the appeal is heard. He's also a fairly low flight risk considering his high profile. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25670841-5001021,00.html Bad news for the Dragons on the field but you can hardly feel sorry for him. A great player on the field, but clearly prone to violence off it...

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:20 am  

CumberlandsAshes wrote:

He's also a fairly low flight risk considering his high profile.

He's getting on a plane and flying off to another country, how much more of a flight risk could he be?

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:14 am  

watching the team with and without him over recent weeks proves to me what an excellent footy player and what an asset (on the playing side) he really is, good for the dragons hopes of making the play-offs that he's on his way back!

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:17 am  

belgianxiii wrote:

He's getting on a plane and flying off to another country, how much more of a flight risk could he be?

By "a low flight risk" I mean that it's fairly unlikely that he's going to disappear in Europe and never return when he is required to... unless he's planning to disguise himself as an itinerant goat herder somewhere in Eastern Europe.

He still has a career in the game, Catalans have already said they intend to extend his contract no matter what happens and a very large number of people know exactly where he is - including those who put up the money for his freedom. Not really the profile of someone you'd expect to do a runner or even want to.

The other point is, his job is in France - and it's not the court's intention to rob a person they consider fit to be bailed of their ability to make a living for the period of time between now and any appeal is finally heard.

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:21 am  

I wonder if he is collecting airmiles for all this travel?

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:22 am  

Perhaps the immigration service will now do their job and prevent a convicted criminal from entering the UK

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:54 am  

Chris28 wrote:

Perhaps the immigration service will now do their job and prevent a convicted criminal from entering the UK

I bet they do.