The son of rugby league legend Wendell Sailor has been told he is on the verge of being jailed after pleading guilty to defrauding his former girlfriend of $40,000 and intimidating her over the course of their short relationship.
Jackson Watson, 24, appeared in Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday after ripping off thousands of dollars from his former partner while in the grips of a drug and gambling addiction.
He last year pleaded guilty to intimidation and making a false document to obtain financial advantage.
The court was previously told he was considering making an application for the charges to be dealt with on mental health grounds.
However, his lawyer Phillip Vo on Tuesday withdrew that application and told magistrate Paul Lyon that Watson was ready to be sentenced.
But in an 11th hour hurdle, Mr Vo told the court that he had no evidence that Watson had completed rehab or was taking steps to repay his victim, such as getting a job.
Mr Lyon warned Watson that given he had pleaded guilty to serious domestic violence offences, he was on the cusp of being jailed, and without proof that he was taking steps to reform himself, he would be sentenced to prison.
“Without it, he’s going to jail,” Mr Lyon said.
Watson has also been charged with two breaches of conditional release orders relating to previous common assault charges.
He was on Wednesday supported in court by his mother Amy Watson.
Mr Lyon on Wednesday also granted an AVO for two years that states Watson must not contact his victim.
According to a statement of agreed facts, Watson met the woman through a dating app and was in a relationship for two months in mid-2021, during which time he borrowed $40,000 from her under false pretences and never paid her back.
The woman said she gave him money over the course of their relationship, with Watson claiming he needed money for work expenses, including training, tools and uniforms.
He even showed her text messages, which he purported were from his boss and stated that he would be reimbursed, according to court documents.
However, when she contacted his boss, she was shocked to find Watson had not worked for him for several months.
According to court documents, she also said he would stand over her and demand to see her bank balance on her phone.
She also told officers she felt threatened and intimidated by Watson, describing him as having an “extreme temper” and that he “would get extremely angry very easily”.
According to the statement of agreed facts, Watson would “pace around the room, very often with objects in hand”.
“These objects included a sharp knife, scissors, glass plates or any other sharp objects he could find,” court documents state.
On one occasion he threatened to “bash” and “kill” a male friend who sent the woman a text message, according to the statement of agreed facts.
The woman became scared and feared for her safety.
The documents state he also threatened her by saying: “I swear by God … If there’s something going on, you’re going to be in trouble, I’m not messing around, you’ll get hurt, I swear to God, don’t f**k with me”.
The woman said that on another occasion, she began crying and shaking after Watson came up to her face and spoke to her in an intimidating fashion.
When she told him she was scared, Watson responded: “Good, you should be scared.”
On another occasion, after hearing noises while lying in bed, he threw her phone across his apartment, causing the screen protector to break.
During an interview with police, Watson admitted to struggling with drug and gambling addictions.
Watson was himself a talented footballer and at one time considered a top prospect who represented an Australian side in his teens.
He also played in the Cronulla Sharks under-16 side with the likes of Blayke Brailey, Reece Robson and Kyle Flanagan.
Watson was arrested in Caringbah in October 2021 after the woman made a complaint to police two months earlier.
He will return to court in March.
