RETIRED rugby international Simon Danielli – who won 32 caps for Scotland – twice tested positive for cocaine, a court hearing into a dispute with his estranged wife has learned.
The claim emerged as the 6''2 winger gave evidence at an appeal hearing for his former wife Olivia Danielli who is challenging a conviction of causing criminal damage to his Jaguar XF car on August 9, 2015.
Mrs Danielli, 30, is said to have become enraged over a baby sitting issue and used the metal handle of an umbrella to break the wing mirror off the care which she then threw at the bonnet.
The defence contend however that while Mr Danielli was the registered keeper of the car, the top-of-the-range Jaguar had been bought by the business run by her father – multi millionaire property developer Seamus Jennings – and therefore she should be acquitted because it legally impossible to cause criminal damage to your own belongings.
She had previously been fined £500 and ordered to pay the £1,800 cost of repairing the damage she caused.
Downpatrick County Court in Northern Ireland heard that Mr Danielli had recorded the vandalism to the car on his mobile phone.
Taking the witness box, he further alleged his estranged wife had "kneed me in the privates" and then struck him to the side of the head before leaving his property at The Coaches, in Holywood, and attacking his car parked outside Mrs Danielli had originally faced a charge of common assault but that was later dropped by prosecutors The Scotland rugby player alleged that during the stramash Olivia "looked liked she was on drugs" but her urine samples and tests on a hair follicle proved negative.
But "traces of cocaine" were found in the body of 37-year-old Simon Danielli during tests carried out in November and December 2015.
The court heard that that the couple had subject to an automatic referral for drug tests as a result of him telling police she looked like she was on drugs and their son was in her Porsche Cayenne when she attacked his car.
Under cross examination from defence QC Eugene Grant, Mr Danielli, who played for Bath, Ulster and Scotland before retiring from professional rugby for medical reasons in 2012, was incredulous at being questioned over the drugs tests, declaring the lawyer's motivation was "for the media, that's all you have done it for."
"On 17 November 2015 you tested positive for cocaine isn't that right," said Mr Grant and although Mr Danielli claimed the results were negative, he conceded "there was traces of cocaine in my system".
Mr Grant put to him that a further test on December 9 also showed a "trace of cocaine" and Mr Danielli conceded simply "yes."
The former winger was similarly incredulous when defence counsel asked Mr Danielli about recording or bugging devices he had allegedly placed in the matrimonial home.
Previously described as "distinctly creepy" behaviour, the court has heard the defence team are in possession of 6,000 audio recordings and Mr Grant revealed Mrs Danielli had uncovered "a memory stick that related to recording devices that show you had been recording conversations from the start of the relationship if not the whole marriage".
Mr Danielli told the lawyer however "that's ridiculous" and denied that he had recorded "any conversation before August 2014" or had placed "bugging material into the house."
The appeal hearing comes amid a series of bitter disputes between the couple that has played out in the courts.
In March Simon Danielli was convicted of assaulting Michael Brown, a man he alleged was having an affair with his wife, and was fined him £500. He was acquitted assaulting Mrs Danielli arising from the same incident.
In Mr Danielli's trial for common, the court heard that after assaulting Mr Brown, the ex-winger had gone to the family home where he was seen pulling wires out and he denied at his trial they had been bugging devices.
The case continues.
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