Last defendant named in $2m poker machine scam

The final defendant involved in the $2 million poker machine scam of former NZ rugby league rep Brent Todd and his business partner has pleaded guilty and can be named.

Kay McKirdy pleaded guilty to three charges of conspiracy to defraud at a sentence-indication hearing in the Auckland District Court yesterday.

The sentence indication, a form of plea bargain, came on what was supposed to be the first day of a three-week district court trial.

At the hearing, Judge Nicola Mathers said McKirdy clearly accepted her offending and understood that what she had done was wrong.

Her offending was of a lesser nature than the others, who had already been sentenced or who were about to be sentenced.

McKirdy worked at Landmark Travel, which was used as an intermediary that provided false invoices for Todd and business partner Stanley Wijeyaratne to benefit.

Judge Mathers said McKirdy's personal circumstances were "clearly disastrous" and accepted publication of her name would cause her hardship.

She indicated McKirdy would be discharged without conviction when she appeared for sentence in August if she completed 60 hours of community work and an affidavit was prepared detailing her personal circumstances.

Doug Rollerson and Hugh McGahan both pleaded guilty to their involvement in the scam this year.

Brent Todd was sentenced to a year's home detention and 190 hours' community work, and Wijeyaratne was fined $50,000.

Alistair Arnott and Geoffrey Thompson, who worked for Touch New Zealand, will be sentenced in the Auckland District Court today.