- Former AFL draft pick Dayle Garlett is back behind bars
- Garlett brutally robbed a retiree in September 2022
- Star developed a meth habit after moving to Melbourne
A promising former AFL star whose move to Melbourne led him to develop a daily methamphetamine habit is back behind bars after being found guilty of the brutal robbery of an elderly woman in her home.
Dayle Garlett, once touted as one of Western Australia’s best young players, was picked up by the Hawthorn Hawks as a 19-year-old in the 2013 national draft.
Garlett left the club a few months later without playing a senior match, saying he was struggling to cope with the overwhelming demands of the AFL.
He returned to his home state of Western Australia, where his former WAFL club Swan Districts voted not to take him back, saying they were “concerned for the welfare of the troubled former Hawthorn recruit”.
A short time later, Garlett was arrested on charges of theft and receiving stolen property.
Former AFL draft pick Dayle Garlett is back behind bars after the brutal robbery of a pensioner.
Garlett’s life spiraled out of control when he developed a methamphetamine habit in Melbourne.
Garlett told a psychiatrist that isolation from family and home surroundings after moving to Melbourne had led him to begin taking drugs and socializing with criminals.
He soon developed a surprising methamphetamine habit, which drove him away from the sport he loved.
After returning to WA, Garlett spent all his money on his daily drug addiction and turned to crime.
Garlett was jailed for more than four years for a series of offenses and was released in 2019.
He was jailed again that year after admitting more robberies.
Now the former football star has been jailed again for more than three years for the most harrowing crime to date.
On the morning of September 6, 2022, Garlett entered the backyard of a 65-year-old woman in Beechboro, northwest of Perth.
The woman opened the door to investigate the noises she had heard and Garlett overpowered her and threw her to the ground.
Garlett was touted as one of the best young players to come out of WA when he tried to break into the AFL with Hawthorn (pictured).
Garlett was sentenced to three years and five months in prison for the brutal robbery he committed in 2022
He stole her purse and keys, but left a jacket that police used to later identify him.
Garlett was arrested several weeks later while suffering from a drug overdose and has been in custody since then.
Earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and theft in Perth District Court.
‘It was fortunate that he did not suffer a more serious injury. “Although there is no victim impact statement, I readily accept that the incident must have been terrifying for her,” Judge Genevieve Cleary said.
‘I was told that at 16 you started drinking alcohol and took some other drugs. At 17 you were already using cocaine. And then at 17 or 18 you were doing methamphetamine, which is certainly what happened at Hawthorn Football Club and ruined your career there.
“Putting all of that together, given your criminal history, your escalating crime, and your deep-seated drug use, you are at high risk of reoffending if you don’t address your drug use.”
Garlett was sentenced to three years and five months in prison and will be eligible for parole in September of this year.
