Last year Windsor, from Geelong, pleaded guilty to trafficking a drug of dependence and possessing equipment for trafficking, notably acetone. He was sentenced to 169 days of time already served and walked free from the court with a community corrections order. Within weeks Mr Thompson and Windsor were living together in the converted warehouse and both were arrested after the police raid in January 2018. Convicted drug trafficker Thomas Windsor, who lived with Bomber Thompson. Credit:Justin McManus While Mr Thompson admitted taking drugs, he insisted he has not sold them, adding that he was also tempted to try LSD but "didn't have the guts". "Ice, that's it really," he said.

Mr Thompson told the court that he still struggles dealing with the Essendon supplements scandal which left him in a "bad way". He said he only left Geelong to mentor then Essendon coach James Hird part time but when the supplement scandal hit "everything I believed in all my life .. was ruined". "I took a lot of kids on from their parents and I looked them in the eye and said, 'Don’t worry your son's going to be OK'. That went out the door and I really couldn’t live with that," he said. "The fact I’m responsible for these boys found guilty for cheating for something I really love. "I hate the game, I left the game after working at Essendon for two years.

"Here I am in 2017 at home. I found cryptocurrency, your Honour. It’s something I’d been looking for in my life." Bomber Thompson's converted warehouse in Port Melbourne that was raided by police in January 2018. Credit:Justin McManus Mr Thompson revealed that smoking ice became a "habit" for him and that his use of it increased towards the end of 2017, until his house was raided on January 5 the following year. He admitted that scales found by police in his house belonged to him. "I used to weigh stuff up. What you paid for is what you got," he said.

He then shook his head and said: "I can’t believe I’m saying this." "I never had any intention to sell any drugs. I know right from wrong, being a trafficker is just embarrassing for me. "I’m a drug taker, I’m sad I’m a drug taker. I took them back then to mask all the pain." I can’t believe I’m saying this ... I’m a drug taker, I’m sad I’m a drug taker. Mark 'Bomber' Thompson Police allege they found a myriad of illicit substances and drug paraphernalia in various areas of Mr Thompson's apartment.

Substances allegedly found in Mr Thompson’s bedroom area included 481 ecstasy tablets also defined as being 134.6 grams of MDA, 5½ Xanax tablets and methamphetamine, as well as two sets of digital scales, eight hard drives, four ice pipes and a shoe box filled with clear resealable bags. In a magnetic box in a shared mezzanine area were eight clear bags containing 33.1 grams of crystal meth, 5.6 grams of Ephedrine, one LSD tab and three white capsules. The court previously heard that a further 839.7 grams of what was believed to be MDMA was contaminated by the clandestine drug unit so DNA could not be found. During more than two hours of testing questioning in the witness box on Wednesday, Mr Thompson told the court that he first saw Windsor as "charming and engaging" when he came knocking. Mr Thompson said shortly after he realised his new housemate had a violent streak before using his “intuition” to determine that he was also an illicit drug user. They then began taking ice together while Mr Thompson traded up to $3 million in bitcoin online.

Bomber Thompson arriving at his Port Melbourne home a day after being released on bail in 2018. Credit:Justin McManus "Bitcoin is still going to be a big thing. I’m a believer," he said. The former AFL coach said he soon realised Windsor lived by his own rules. “He had a way of getting me to do things, Windsor. One day he threw [a bottle of 481 ecstasy pills] at me and said, 'I want you to put these in the safe in the room for a day or two',” he told the court. Those 481 pills were later found by police in a locked room off Mr Thompson’s bedroom.

Police prosecutors said it amounted to 44 times the trafficable quantity. Mr Thompson told the court the locked room also contained 20 signed 2007 Geelong Football Club premiership guernseys, which has since been stolen from his home. “I’ve been charged with trafficking these pills,” he said. “Not a chance.” James Hird and Bomber Thompson working together in 2011. Credit:Sebastian Costanzo

Mr Thomspon’s lawyer Peter Matthews argued that all the drugs found in the home were Windsor’s and that there was no evidence his client intended to traffic what was found. “It makes no sense that a man of his public profile would engage in that type of activity,” Mr Matthews argued. The premiership coach has been on bail since his arrest on eight charges including trafficking ecstasy and ice and breaching bail. Mr Thompson played more than 200 games before coaching Geelong to two premierships. He later worked in the coaching team at Essendon. The matter is set to return to court in July.