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Former rugby league star Brent Todd has pleaded guilty to four fraud charges after flying back from his home in Queensland ahead of a depositions hearing in the Auckland District Court.
Todd, who played 13 tests for the Kiwis between 1985 and 1993, was to have appeared on Monday next week for a four-week hearing with several other former high-profile sportsmen facing similar charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office.
The charges relate to hundreds of thousands of dollars of gaming organisation grants intended for amateur rugby and Todd vowed to fight them after a brief court appearance last December in which he entered no plea.
But yesterday, he admitted the offences and was ordered to appear for sentencing on December 7 with another defendant who also pleaded guilty to four fraud charges, Stanley Malik Champalal Wijeyaratne.
Todd's lawyer, John Billington, QC, said his client arrived from Australia on Thursday "especially for this, to get it out of the way".
"He has come back here to get this thing properly disposed of."
Todd said through an intermediary last night that he had no comment while awaiting sentence.
He was declared bankrupt in February last year and in September last year admitted procuring cocaine and was fined $500.
A depositions hearing is still expected to proceed on Monday for related charges against former All Black Doug Rollerson, former Kiwis captain Hugh McGahan, former Touch NZ chief executive Dick Arnott and a former employee of that organisation, Geoffrey Alan Thompson.
- Staff reporter, NZPA
