How Justin Langer disturbed burglars at tennis neighbour Margaret Court’s Perth home
Tennis great Margaret Court was helped by another acclaimed Australian sports personality when some of her prizes and medals were allegedly stolen in a burglary at her Perth home on Australia Day, according to stuff.co.nz .
A Western Australia Police spokeswoman said the coastal residence of Court, 80, and her husband Barry were targeted on Thursday evening where at around 8pm two men gained access to the premises through the gate main entrance.
“Once inside, it will further be alleged that the defendant searched the victim’s property and stole a number of items including awards, medals and jewellery.
“A number of items were in nearby bush and gardens.”
Courts were on vacation at the time and watched the incident unfold via cctv. The intruders were disturbed by neighbours, including Australian cricketing legend Justin Langer afterward, according to reports.
“Former Australian cricket coach Langer played down his role in the arrest of burglars at neighboring Margaret Court,” Stuff wrote. “When contacted, Langer confirmed he had been a neighbor of Court for two decades and said he saw the alleged burglars leave his property.
However, the former Australia manager refused to go into details about the incident and played down his role in the arrests.
Two men from Edgewater, aged 33 and 34, have been charged with one count of aggravated burglary and one count of theft and will appear in court in Perth next month.
Court told the media on Tuesday, “I pray for young people and I pray that they know Christ.” The tennis star, who has won 24 major singles titles, is also known as the Reverend Dr Margaret Smith Court.
In 1960, at the age of 17, Court won the first of seven consecutive Australian Open singles titles and in 1962 became the first Australian woman to win a Grand Slam tournament abroad when she won the French and United States championships. Raised as a Catholic, she is now a prominent voice of a Perth-based Pentecostal movement she started 25 years ago.
He further wrote: “In 2020, his Margaret Court Community Outreach charity was denied a Lotterywest grant for a freezer truck based on his public statements about gay people. She then announced that she would file a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission of Western Australia. Court has lived in his oceanfront home in City Beach for 24 years, having briefly put the property on the market in 2021 for $2.9 million.
The house, located on a quiet 1,204 square meter street corner a stone’s throw from Floreat beach, was also listed in 2013 but never sold, Things reported.