Perske escapes jail after drug use
Australian golfer's lucky escape of Japan's tough laws
Wayne Perske has avoided jail after being arrested for drug abuse.
The Australian golfer was caught taking cocaine at a bar in Chiba, near Tokyo, in October after a customer at the bar alerted police, leading officers to search and arrest him.
Police also found the 36-year-old to be carrying 1.25 grams of the Class A drug in his pocket.
Japan has strict anti-drug laws and possession of banned substances can carry a penalty of up to seven years imprisonment.
Perske, a regular on the Japan Golf Tour, will feel he got off lightly having been sentenced to 18 months behind bars - suspended for three years.
The Brisbane golfer turned professional in 2000 and has played mostly in Japan over the past decade. He qualified for the 2006 Open at Royal Liverpool, where he failed to make the cut.
In the wake of his arrest, the Japan Tour began testing players for illegal drugs such as marijuana and cocaine drugs, starting at the Taiheiyo Masters from November 11 to 14.
