Parramatta Eels facing questions over payment to Terry Leabeater as part of harassment investigation
September 19, 2014 - 11:45PM

Current and former directors will be asked next week whether grand final hero Terry Leabeater was paid by the club to harass officials during Roy Spagnolo's four-year reign at the Eels.

An invoice uncovered in an IT audit at Parramatta Leagues Club shows Leabeater was paid $4400 on March 18 last year for what the former front-rower said were "investigations" into "allegations of inappropriate behaviour" by Parramatta juniors management. He was paid after claims by Terry Rose, a Parramatta District Junior Rugby League executive officer, that Leabeater had repeatedly harassed him, allegations that led Rose to file a workers' compensation claim in March 2012 before ultimately being sacked four months later. 

The Eels announced in a press release this week that a disciplinary committee would investigate evidence of bullying and harassment of former directors, Parramatta Leagues Club staff and members. The club said evidence indicated the harassment was "carried out with the knowledge of the previous PLC board of directors and the previous PLC CEO".

That process is expected to begin on Monday with Spagnolo, who has rejected a request to stand down as chair of the football club the Parramatta District Rugby League, to also be quizzed on his links to the tampering of memberships before last year's Eels elections. He and other current and former PLC board members will be asked about correspondence that suggests the administration was made aware of claims that Leabeater harassed Rose as well as former director Joe Saad.

In emails sighted by Fairfax Media, Rose and another junior official, Roy Richards, in 2012 informed then CEO Bob Bentley of their concerns at Leabeater's harassment of Rose, whose bid to expand smaller junior clubs had upset some of the more powerful clubs in the region. Rose later filed an unfair dismissal claim after being sacked and was awarded two months' pay.

Months later, in March 2013, Leabeater would be paid $4400, a fee signed off by Bentley who wrote to the 1986 premiership winner: "Final payment for consultancy work has been processed today". Leabeater claimed in the invoice he had conducted 320 to 350 hours on his "investigations" from November 2011 to September 2012. It is understood the internal Eels audit has found two other invoices issued by Leabeater but no record of payment. 

Leabeater said on Friday he had not heard of Rose's harassment claims, saying he had invoiced the club for the "costs" of his investigation into Parramatta juniors. "I did a lot of work out there and wasn't paid for most of it," he said. "I had a $9500 phone bill." The new inquiry is also focusing heavily on allegations of the harassment of Saad, who had fallen out with most directors over his allegiance to coach Stephen Kearney and was accused of leaking to media.

In an email from Leabeater to directors dated June 5, 2012, he admits he is struggling financially: "Three weeks ago you all asked me to go on the attack concerning Joe, and like every other time, I did it using my own resources AGAIN over the next 7 days. I did what you asked without question, and got more out of Joe and others than any of you could in your positions as directors and/or management, or otherwise.

"I also got more information on your coaching staff, information from some of the most credible men in the NRL, who are confidants (sic) to your coach, and one of my closer friends."

Leabeater said of the Saad situation: "I found something out, I approached the board and Roy said to me 'if you can find the evidence, produce it'. So I went after it. I got it."

The present Parramatta administration is also probing claims Saad and his family were the targets of intimidation in mid-2012 when they received several phone calls from an anonymous male caller, and two letters containing allegations and abuse. On one of the phone calls to his family, Saad told police the caller had said: "F---in' Joe Saad needs to get off the board...f---in' Joe Saad should be removed from the board."

In another the caller said: "tell him to get off the f---ing board or else". Saad told police in an interview in July 2012 that he had informed PLC directors about the calls. The Saads told police they had earlier received an estimated 20 phone calls from an unidentified caller who remained silent.

There is no evidence Leabeater had any involvement in those calls or letters, and while he has admitted sending abusive emails and texts to Saad, he vehemently denies calling or contacting him or his family at his home. 

The Eels' lawyer Bryan Belling, of Middletons, later commissioned a private investigation firm, PriPOL, to look into the matter. On November 7, 2012 Graeme Cunynghame from PriPOL emailed Belling, saying: "Joe Saad believes someone else is driving Terry Leabeater". The PriPOL report concluded only that the Saad family should "lower their profile" and Saad should replace his Porsche and Mercedes and adopt "anti-surveillance strategies". Saad wrote to the board on May 8 last year saying he had been "receiving harassing text messages and emails from Terry Leabeater since at least October last year" and had spent $6000 upgrading security at his home as a result.  Spagnolo and Bentley did not return calls on Friday.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/parramatta-eels/parramatta-eels-facing-questions-over-payment-to-terry-leabeater-as-part-of-harassment-investigation-20140919-10jhvc.html#ixzz3Dny0PB75