Former All Blacks scrum-half Byron Kelleher was fined 200 euros by a French court on Thursday after being accused of domestic violence during a drunken spat at his Toulouse home.
The 40-year-old was arrested in June 2016 for “destruction and domestic violence” while under the influence of alcohol.
“It’s a totally symbolic sentence,” said Kelleher’s lawyer, Corinne Laporte. “There was no domestic violence — it is a sentence of principle.”
Kelleher, who played for French giants Toulouse from 2007 until 2011, has had a series of run-ins with the law.
He appeared in court in 2009 following a brawl in the French city which broke out after he was stopped for drink-driving.
Kelleher was also arrested in October 2013 for driving under the influence in Bordeaux.
He started his playing career in New Zealand with the Otago Highlanders and then Waikato Chiefs before he moved to France, spending four seasons at Toulouse where he starred in two title-winning seasons in 2008 and 2011.
Kelleher also helped Toulouse to the 2010 European Cup title. He switched to Stade Français in June 2011 before leaving in 2012.
The half-back star returned to Toulouse where he opened his own bar in 2015.
Kelleher’s international career brought him 57 caps for the All Blacks between 1999 and 2007.
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