A former NRL halfback for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Parramatta Eels, Chris Sandow, has narrowly avoided jail after allegedly breaching a court order three times in one month.
Last playing in the NRL in 2015, Sandow has had several off-field incidents following his retirement, which saw him sentenced to 15 months in jail and suspended for 30 months for an unrelated offence in 2021.
In the latest off-field incident, the ex-halfback has pleaded guilty to three counts of driving without a licence disqualified by a court order at Ipswich Magistrates Court on Wednesday, per The Courier-Mail.
It is understood that police caught him on CCTV footage refuelling at three separate service stations between November 3 and December 1 last year.
This comes after he was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver's licence for two years.
โIf these matters were before the court in December last year when you received that period of 200 hours community services, the court would have imposed a greater punishment,โ acting magistrate Robert Turra said via the publication.
โI don't see a short period of imprisonment serving any benefit that allows you to continue with the work that you've been doing under supervision of probation.โ
Mr Turra later imposed a four months' jail sentence but granted him an immediate parole release.
The 2008 Dally M Rookie of the Year, Sandow played 159 NRL matches for the South Sydney Rabbitohs (2008-11) and Parramatta Eels (2012-15) before making a move overseas to play for the Warrington Wolves (2015-16) in the Super League competition.
Despite his size and stature, he was considered a future superstar halfback early in his career and even agreed to a deal to join the Parramatta Eels for around $1.6 to $2.2 million for four years.