New Zealand kickboxer Hayden Todd, 37, was granted a bail exemption to travel to Australia, where he was due to headline a fight last night. Photo / Supplied
New Zealand kickboxer Hayden Todd, 37, was granted a bail exemption to travel to Australia, where he was due to headline a fight last night. Photo / Supplied
A New Zealand professional kickboxer who pleaded guilty to a raft of sex and violence offences was granted a bail exemption this week to travel to Australia where he headlined a fight last night.
The bail exemption for Hayden Todd, 37, was granted in the Auckland District Court by JudgeMuir on Tuesday.
Todd is awaiting sentencing for charges including sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection with a female older than 16, assault on a female, strangulation and suffocation and injuring with intent to injure.
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Will now be fighting this tough lad Hayden Todd from New Zealand.. from what I’ve seen on...
Todd flew to Queensland Friday morning as a late replacement to headline the Muay Thai League World Series event last night in an 83kg bout promoted as a "world title" against Australian champion Charlie Bubb.
Bubb won the title in the second-round of the fight, according to the Muay Thai League Facebook page.
Social media promotion for the Gold Coast event heralded the fight as an Australia vs New Zealand clash — with Todd representing New Zealand.
The Muay Thai League described Todd as one of a "couple of legends who have stepped up just in time" to replace the late withdrawal of other fighters.
"Hayden with over 50f exp [50 fights experience] is not afraid of the big fights. This will be [fire emojis]," the Muay Thai League posts.
A family spokesperson for the victim, who has name suppression, told the Herald on Sunday they "all feel really let down by the court process".
"I'm absolutely dumbfounded that it could even happen. Dumbfounded that his lawyers could even think that it's a possibility," the spokesperson said.
"I get lost for words about it because it makes me so angry, and so disappointed in the system. We encouraged [victim] to put her trust in the justice system and I don't feel she's got justice at all.
Todd is awaiting sentencing for charges including sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection with a female older than 16.
"You think you're starting to come right and then something like this hits you all again."
Todd's lawyer John Munro refused to comment when approached by the Herald on Sunday.
The spokesperson for the victim's family said the legal process has been an ordeal that has caused "nightmares".
"The whole thing has been so drawn out that the defence have been able to delay, delay, delay with no consequences to Hayden.
Todd, right, during the King in the Ring 8 Man Series at ASB Stadium in 2016. Photo / photosport.nz
"[Victim] is the one who's having to deal with the trauma of it all being brought up again, brought up again, and he's flying off to Australia. It just pisses me off to be frank.
"It's been really stressful, and financially as well, I mean the support that she's had to have, she's needed from all the members of her family, friends.
"There's been a lot of people that have been fighting for her but there's not been any resolution though the courts. I don't sleep, I have nightmares still, and we can't leave it behind us because we haven't had a resolution."
Todd has fought in numerous kickboxing events since he was charged.
In August 2021, Todd had also been on the fight card for King in the Ring 8 Man Series to be broadcast on TVNZ Duke. That event was however postponed to February, 2022, due to Covid and in that time the organisers became aware of Todd's charges and pulled him from the fight card.
*This article has been amended to clarify that Todd did not compete in the King in the Ring 8 Man Series. The Herald originally reported that Todd did.
