A Canberra man who peddled cocaine to rugby league stars Kevin Proctor and Jesse Bromwich hours after the Anzac test "wanted to get on it with his heroes", a court has heard.
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Adrian Mark Crowther, 45, was fined more than $5000 after he was captured on CCTV cutting lines of the drug on his mobile phone for two men to snort through a rolled bank note in Civic on May 6.
Police found Crowther outside Cube nightclub in Petrie Plaza shortly after 5am. They seized bags of white powder and a pill in his pockets.
He was later charged and pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine and MDMA, and cocaine supply, in the ACT Magistrates Court.
Crowther's sentence hearing on Monday was told he'd watched the Kangaroos beat the Kiwis by 30-12 in the yearly contest between Australia and New Zealand at GIO Stadium in Belconnen the previous night.
He had gone to Mooseheads club in Civic, where a woman sold him an MDMA capsule in a bathroom .
Crowther later went to Cube nightclub where he had a conversation with a man about selling cocaine he'd bought to three NRL players.
He told police he agreed because he recognised the players and "wanted to get on it with his heroes".
The CCTV footage showed one of the men hand Crowther money, although the court heard he'd told the players he didn't want to be paid.
It was unclear how much Crowther got for the drugs, but police later found $180 in his wallet.
Crowther's defence lawyer, Peter Woodhouse, said the sale wasn't a drug deal, and his client wasn't a drug dealer, in the "traditional sense".
He told the court Crowther had said of the NRL players: "These guys were my heroes, I looked up to them and wanted them to like me.
"I had something they wanted and I wanted them to like me."
Mr Woodhouse said Crowther's motivation was "a pretty sad reason" but one some people would relate to. He urged the court to consider a good behaviour order.
The court heard Crowther didn't have a criminal history and lived "a very ordinary life" until the breakdown of his marriage and bitter divorce proceedings drove him to dabble in illicit drugs.
His drug use, and nights out, increased after his father's unexpected death in late 2016.
Mr Woodhouse asked the court to take into account the fact Crowther had spent a night in custody, attracted significant media attention, and lost his job as a courier because of the charges.
Prosecutors said general deterrence was of "utmost importance", but said there was also a strong need for specific deterrence given Crowther's prime motivation for his crimes was "so people would like him".
Magistrate Bernadette Boss acknowledged the players were Crowther's "sporting idols" but said a man of his age should not have encouraged younger men to engage in drug-taking behaviour.
She said his maturity should have made him "less susceptible to stardom".
Dr Boss noted Crowther's lack of criminal history and mental health problems but said the court needed to send a strong message of deterrence as drugs could trigger violence and serious medical conditions.
"Drugs are a scourge and curse on the community," she said.
She fined him $4500 for cocaine supply and $750 for drug possession. Crowther was also ordered to serve a 12-month good behaviour order.
Earlier this year, the incident had swift consequences for Kangaroos players Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor. The men were previously named in court but have not been charged.
Bromwich stood down as New Zealand rugby league captain soon after.
He missed two matches for his club, the Melbourne Storm, and apologised for his "poor choices" in Canberra.
Proctor said he was "extremely embarrassed and sorry". He later stood down as co-captain of the Gold Coast Titans.
Both players lost their places in the Kiwi's World Cup team for France later this year, after coach David Kidwell said they had broken his trust.
