Neiwand spiralled into depression after missing his goal of a gold medal in the Keirin at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

[3] In 2006 Neiwand was sentenced to eighteen months in prison for breaching a court order preventing him from harassing a former girlfriend.

[3] Neiwand joined the Sunrise Foundation in 2007, an organisation which, through the high schools, aims to demystify and tackle depression in the community.

The court heard that having attended counselling over the previous six months Niewand had made significant progress, had his drinking problems under control, and was concerned and upset about his offending and his predicament.

The magistrate regarded a report from the Forensicare counsellor as "promising", adjourning the case until March 2012[6] when he was sentenced to four months jail, wholly suspended for two years.