SYDNEY (AP) The Australian security consultant charged by police after the discovery of a listening device at the All Blacks' hotel in Sydney has angrily denied any involvement in its placement.
Adrian Gard, a 51-year-old director of the security company Bodyguards International, is due to appear in Sydney's Waverly District Court on March 21 to answer a charge of public mischief. The charge does not imply Gard placed the listening device but he is alleged to have misled police during their investigation.
The device was discovered in a chair in the team room of the All Blacks' hotel prior to their Bledisloe Cup test against Australia in Sydney last August.
In his first public statement since the charge was announced, Gard told Sydney's Daily Telegraph he would defend his reputation and ''the truth will come out in the end.''
Gard is a respected security consultant with more than 30 years' experience in the industry, and has worked for leading public figures including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and golfer Tiger Woods. He has been involved with the All Blacks' security for 10 years.
Gard told the Daily Telegraph ''people who work with me can vouch for my reputation.''
''I don't know anything about this stupid bloody bug,'' he said. ''The bug was news to me. I literally had no idea about it until I was told about it.
''I'm really annoyed about the whole thing to tell you the truth. I'm just going to ride the next few months out, the truth will come out in the end.''
In the only statement on the case to date from the All Blacks, coach Steve Hansen described the charge against Gard as ''bizarre and unbelievable.''
''It's very hard to understand,'' Hansen said. ''The charged man has worked for the All Blacks and many other organizations for a long time and is someone who is trusted and well-respected by us.''
The Australian Rugby Union was quick to use the announcement of the charge against Gard to claim it had been cleared of any involvement in the placement of the listening device.
ARU chief executive Bill Pulver commended the New South Wales police for ''providing closure with a charge being laid against an individual today.''
''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,'' Pulver said. ''Clearly the media attention which resulted from it was a distraction that neither team needed on the morning of a very important test match.''
New Zealand won the match 42-8.
''The ARU and the Wallabies were never accused of any wrongdoing,'' Pulver said. ''However, it was still important that this matter reached a conclusion to provide complete reassurance to all fans that the organization and the team had no part in any of this.
''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.''
