Former footy trainer escapes jail
A FORMER Goodna rugby league trainer let two mates use his house to traffic ecstasy, cocaine and speed to feed his own amphetamine habit.
His mates got five-year jail terms for their part in a large trafficking operation but Anthony Gerald Kerslake escaped yesterday with an 18-month suspended jail sentence.
Brisbane Supreme Court was told Kerslake let fellow Goodna Eagles player Matthew Daniel Smith and Dane Stephen Herdon store and deal drugs at his Collingwood Park and Springfield homes over eight weeks in 2010.
Kerslake was present at least twice during the supply of drugs.
The court heard Smith and Herdon were dealing in thousands of pills at a time but Kerslake knew only about 100-pill amounts.
The qualified electrician - who had no criminal history - has worked on large Queensland infrastructure projects such as the Prince Alexander Hospital, Amberley Airbase, Brisbane Convention Centre, Airport Link tunnel and most recently in central Queensland on the first train-switching platform in the southern hemisphere.
Defence barrister Michael Byrne told the court Kerslake was allowing trafficking at his home "from a misguided sense of loyalty to long-term friends".
The drug sting involved a number of high-profile rugby league members from the Ipswich area - many of whom were mentioned in the court yesterday.
Justice Jean Dalton said Kerslake's involvement was not for commercial gain, rather to feed a habit.
The court heard Kerslake would now head for an interview to work in a West Australian mining area.
