Byron Kelleher, who retired in 2012, is once again making headlines far from the rugby fields. The Parisian newspaper reports that the former New Zealand scrum-half (47 years old) is set to stand trial on Monday in Paris for violence against the mother of his eight-year-old son.
On June 24, 2023, after an evening out, the former player for Stade Toulousain and Stade Français allegedly grabbed his then-partner by the hair and dragged her down the apartment hallway after she had taken refuge in a bathroom. A medical certificate confirmed a cervical injury and several bruises.
His ex-partner describes multiple scenes of violence. When she filed a complaint at the police station, the woman in her thirties indicated that it was not the first time Kelleher had been “verbally and physically violent” towards her, during a tumultuous relationship that began in 2010 and was punctuated by a long period of separation. The young woman also reported insults and punches, against the backdrop of her former partner’s alcohol consumption. In February 2023, the local police had to intervene during a violent altercation in Mauritius.
Placed in police custody on October 16th, Kelleher admits to quarrels but denies the violence and any potential problems with alcohol. In March 2017, the double French champion (2008, 2011) and winner of the 2010 European Cup with Toulouse was however fined 200 euros for domestic violence, committed in June 2016 in Toulouse while he was intoxicated.
