Rugby: Former All Black Regan King accused of tricking former partners out of thousands of dollars

Regan King scored a try in his one and only appearance for the All Blacks in 2002. Photo / Photosport

Former All Black Regan King has been accused of tricking multiple partners out of thousands of dollars to fuel a gambling addiction.

BBC Wales reported two women have claimed King, who played a solitary test for the All Blacks in 2002 against Wales in Cardiff, still owed them "thousands" of dollars after they loaned him money to assist his alleged "cash flow problems."

BBC Wales reported that it had been sent messages and emails from King to several former partners where he admits to owing the money and promises to pay them back.

One former partner, Dianna Stalteri, said she met 38-year-old King online in 2017 and after dating for several months, he started asking to loan up to A$10,000 (NZ$10,500) to pay off debt.

Stalteri agreed to lend King, a brother to Commonwealth Games squash gold medallist Joelle King, some of the money on the condition that she could see his contract and be paid by the end of the rugby season.

But it wasn't until she received a phone call from one of King's family members that she realised the truth.

"It was an immediate family member [of King's] that rang me with information about the money – that he had a gambling addiction, and the amount of money he owed people, particularly in New Zealand," Stalteri told BBC Wales.

"I just knew you wouldn't get a call like that from an immediate family member without it being somewhat true," she said, adding she ended up in hospital sick from stress.

She ended the relationship in May last year and claims to have since spoken to five other women who have had similar experiences.

Cheryl Wenninger also told BBC Wales that King owed her thousands of Australian dollars after he asked her to borrow money for his children, claiming that his bank accounts had been frozen during divorce proceedings.

"When I finally found out the truth, I contacted Regan... he told me he had a
mental illness and he has been unwell for such a long time," she told BBC Wales.

"There are no divorce proceedings, no bank accounts, no assets – and that was the premise for him to obtain money from me."

King has refused to comment on the report but has not yet denied the allegations.