All Blacks manager Darren Shand did not want the police to investigate when a bug was first discovered in the hotel, says the hotel manager.
Paul Walters was the general manager of the Intercontinental Hotel in Double Bay when a listening device was found inside a chair by Adrian Gard,a security consultant to the All Blacks, on August 15 last year.
Gard has been charged with making a false representation leading to a police investigation.
Walters was giving evidence at the Downing Local Court in Sydney by audio-visual link from London.
He told the hearing one of his staff members told him a listening device had been found, so Walters went to Gard's room, where Shand was also present.
A photograph of an audio bug found in a hotel room in Sydney occupied by All BLacks team staff August 2016. The photograph was provided as evidence during a trial into the bugging of the All Blacks ah
Walters was shown the listening device and saw the chair, which had been cut open.
"I assured them security arrangements are paramount and we were taking this seriously," said Walters.
"I believe I asked them would they like me to contact police...Mr Shand requested I do not contact police."
This was because Shand did not want any media attention, according to Walters.
The hotel manager then arranged for two private investigators to start an inquiry into who planted the bug.
Shand, in giving evidence yesterday, denied asking for the police to not be involved when the listening device was first discovered.
Shand went on to say he believed it was the hotel's responsibility to investigate and was unaware that planting a listening device was a criminal offence until a second meeting with the private investigators, the day before the Bledisloe Test.
At this second meeting, Walters said he again asked Shand if he wanted the police involved.
"He said no," said Walters, again for fear of media attention.
Later that night, Walters said he had another conversation with Shand who indicated the All Blacks were reconsidering the position about involving the police.
The next day, Walters said he had a phone call from Shand saying the news of the bugging was about to break in the media. Shand now wanted the police involved, said Walters.
The New Zealand Herald then broke the story online.
The hotel manager went into work and called the police around 10am, just hours before the start of the Bledisloe Cup.
Under cross-examination from Gard's lawyer Tony Kimmins, Walters confirmed Shand twice said he did not want the police involved because of concerns about the media.
