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Man charged over All Blacks hotel bugging scandal

6th February, 2017
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All Blacks coach Steve Hansen. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
6th February, 2017
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A 51-year-old man has been charged by police in relation to the listening device which was found in the All Blacks’ hotel room during the lead-up to their Bledisloe Cup opener in Sydney in August last year.

The man, who was a security consultant reportedly working for the All Blacks at the time of the incident, has been charged with public mischief and will appear in Waverly Local court in March. The ABC is reporting he was working for the All Blacks at the time.

A listening bug, the type used by law enforcement agencies, was discovered last August in the All Blacks’ meeting room at Sydney’s Intercontinental Hotel in Double Bay, creating instant headlines in the rugby world.

Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver, who denied any wrongdoing and involvement on the part of his organisation at the time of the incident, was quick to praise NSW Police after the charge was laid on Tuesday afternoon (Sydney time).

“On behalf of the ARU, I commend the NSW Police for their ongoing pursuit of this matter and for providing closure with a charge being laid against an individual today,” said Pulver.

“The aspect that still leaves a bitter taste out of this whole affair is that the discovery of the device was reported publicly on game day, when it is understood that the alleged discovery of the device occurred much earlier in the week leading up to the Test match.

“Clearly the media attention which resulted from it was a distraction that neither team needed on the morning of a very important Test match.

“The ARU and the Wallabies were never accused of any wrongdoing, however it was still important that this matter reached a conclusion to provide complete reassurance to all fans that the organisation and the team had no part in any of this.

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“There may be some questions that remain but certainly today’s news is welcome news that an individual has been called to account over this incident,” he said.

The New Zealand Rugby Union did not report the discovery of the bug until after their CEO, Steve Tew, had flown to Sydney from the Rio Olympics, creating a significant delay between the discovery of the device and it being reported to police.

It wasn’t until the morning of Saturday, August 20 – the day of the Bledisloe 1 encounter – that police were notified of the device.

However, the incident didn’t prove to be much of a distraction to the All Blacks, who went on to notch a commanding 42-8 victory at ANZ Stadium.

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