It sounded like the script from a Hollywood blockbuster.
An international sports star snatched from a Sydney street by masked bandits, driven to a remote location, stripped naked, horrifically beaten and held at gunpoint.
But for former Aussie spin bowling superstar Stuart MacGill, being swept up in this devastating drug deal gone wrong has left very real physical and emotional scars.
Now, in a 7NEWS Spotlight exclusive, the one-time rival to Shane Warne reveals how he survived this terrifying, “targeted” kidnapping and assault and lived to tell the tale.
The father of two and restaurateur tremors and weeps as he recounts the 2021 abduction, which has led to the arrest of four men, including the brother of MacGill’s partner Maria O’Meagher.
Reading from his official police statement, MacGill is the picture of a broken man, turning to 7NEWS Spotlight to share his alarming story and reset his life, left shattered by the ordeal.
Executive producer Mark Llewellyn said:
“Nobody who has ever worn a baggy green has ever had a story like this; it is one of the most extraordinary stories I’ve ever heard.
“Stuart MacGill could have hidden in the shadows, but he hasn’t. This is his raw, unvarnished account. He doesn’t expect sympathy, but he does hope people will finally know the truth.”