SYDNEY (AP) A security consultant working for New Zealand's rugby team has escaped conviction in a bugging case being heard in an Australian court.
Adrian Gard, 52, was placed on a one-year good behavior bond Friday for breaching his security license when organizing a sweep of the Sydney hotel where the All Blacks were staying ahead of a test match against Australia in August of last year.
Gard was last month found not guilty of making up claims that he had found a listening device hidden in a meeting room chair.
The court previously heard the All Blacks only decided to alert police about the bug five days after its discovery, and once they knew the story was going to be reported in the New Zealand media.
The incident caused friction between the rugby rivals, with the Australian Rugby Union upset that the All Blacks kept silent on the incident until it appeared in the media as a match day distraction.
