AFL star freed from prison

BRIAN Lake’s Japanese jail ordeal is over after the Norm Smith medallist was released yesterday from an Osaka police station after six days in custody.

Lake, 36, had been detained in the multi-storey Minami police station since early on Sunday morning in Osaka after a late-night altercation.

He walked out tired but free just before 5pm Adelaide time yesterday and was not charged with any offence.

M e - diation was a crucial element of the process, with a written and verbal apology to the victim of the alleged incident key for the former Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs player in his endeavour to be released.

His manager Marty Pask had been in Osaka since Wednesday night in an effort to help him.

Lake was also being assisted by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but strict Japanese custom meant it was a delicate fight for his legal team to balance.

He could have been held for up to 23 days without charge as is allowed under Japanese law.

Further accelerating efforts for his release was the fact that Monday is a public holiday – Marine Day – in Japan.

The former AFL star’s time in custody included strict visi- tation requirements and tough conditions, with prisoners believed to be allowed just three bowls of rice a day.

Lake – who travelled to Osaka last week to compete in an AFL Asia tournament after a stint in Bali – had last Saturday night enjoyed the festivities at The Blarney Stone, an Irish pub in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi district. It was a night out with teammates from the competition, which had finished that day. But he had moved on to another venue by the time things went awry.

Friends of Lake – including Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney – have expressed their concern for him in recent days.

Cooney described the past six months, which have included marriage trouble, as the “most stressful point” in his close mate Lake’s life.