Former top talent Corey Cadby convicted again after aggravated home burglary at family member's home

Former junior world champion Corey Cadby has been found guilty of aggravated residential burglary in Australia. The 30-year-old Australian was on trial this week before the Supreme Court in Burnie, located in the Australian state of Tasmania.

Cadby was found guilty by the jury of breaking into his uncle Dean Smart's home in Elizabeth Town along with two others, The Sun reported.

Smart suffered a skull fracture in the nighttime burglary after being attacked in his bed. For the assault itself, however, Cadby was acquitted because the jury could not determine with certainty that he was the one who delivered the blow.

Cadby's uncle and aunt stated during the trial that they believed they recognised their nephew by his voice and posture during the burglary. Still, the court deemed the evidence insufficient to hold him responsible for the violence that led to the serious injury.

Cadby was considered one of the biggest talents in darts in 2016 when he became world junior champion in Minehead, England. A few years later, he also broke through to the PDC. At the age of 21, he even beat darts legend Phil Taylor, a feat that impressed worldwide. On his debut at the 2018 UK Open, he immediately reached the final, in which he lost to Gary Anderson.

His rapid rise earned him the nickname "the Mario Balotelli of darts," a reference to his boisterous behaviour offstage. Like the ex-footballer of Manchester City and Liverpool, among others, Cadby made the news more often because of incidents outside his sporting achievements than because of his results at the board.

Visa problems and judicial convictions made it increasingly difficult for Cadby to travel to Europe for major tournaments. His career went down the drain as a result. In 2023 he made a brief comeback by regaining a Tour Card through Q-School, but a structural return to the PDC circuit was not forthcoming. Not much later, he lost that Tour Card again.

In a 2024 interview, Cadby already spoke openly about the problems that ultimately derailed his career. “I did let a lot of people down at the end and I’m totally ashamed of that. he stated at the time. “Each day was so hard and that obviously led to alcohol. I was never one bit happy, I was actually depressed every day."

The Australian then also admitted how deeply he had sunk during that period. “I didn’t want to wake up and to be honest, there was thoughts of suicide on my mind," he said.

The conviction for aggravated residential burglary represents another severe blow to Cadby, who was once seen as a future world champion. Although he was acquitted for the assault, he faces a hefty sentence for the residential burglary. Sentencing will be determined at a later date.

For the darts world, the case is yet another painful reminder of a career that began with exceptional talent and ended in personal and legal problems. Whether Cadby will ever return to the highest stage seems extremely uncertain after this conviction.