NSW:Police to question NZ woman over NRL bet

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2011
NSW:Police to question NZ woman over NRL bet

SYDNEY, April 4 AAP - NSW police plan to send detectives to New Zealand this week to
question a woman about an NRL betting scam.

CCTV images were released last week of a woman visiting a TAB in Auckland and placing
bets on August 20, 2010 and again on the following day, shortly before a match between
the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the North Queensland Cowboys.

Detective Superintendent Ken Finch, from the NSW State Crime Command, said police believed
they had found the woman but they needed to confirm her identity and establish whether
she could provide them with information that would lead to arrests.

"We need to speak to her before we can confirm that she has information that will help
us in the investigation, but we are hopeful that she will have some information that will
lead to arrests," he told AAP on Monday.

"We are making applications for detectives to go over to New Zealand and I'm hoping
they will be able to travel there this week," Supt Finch said.

So far, three people have been charged in relation to the August 21 match between the
Bulldogs and the Cowboys in Townsville.

Bulldogs player Ryan Tandy was penalised two minutes into the game for impeding Cowboys
playmaker Grant Rovelli in front of the posts after the Bulldogs forward had spilled the
ball and given away possession.

The Cowboys were awarded a penalty but took a tap kick instead of kicking for goal
and scored a try.

Tandy - who has been sacked by the Bulldogs - faces four charges of providing false
or misleading evidence to the NSW Crime Commission, while player manager Sam Ayoub and
former player John Elias have been charged with attempting to defraud betting agencies.

In the Downing Centre Local Court on Monday, Ayoub pleaded not guilty to the fraud
charge, with his lawyer Danny Eid entering the plea on his behalf.

Tandy pleaded not guilty to all charges on March 3 and is due to appear in court on
April 7 with Ayoub and Elias.

AAP dmg/tr/jl/apm

KEYWORD: RL BET UPDATE

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.