Former Australian rugby captain Rocky Elsom has revealed he is currently on the run from police and avoiding imprisonment.
In October, an international warrant was issued for the arrest of the ex-Wallaby by French police.
The former flanker made 75 appearances for Australia between 2005 and 2011, and was part of the side who won the 2008/09 Heineken Cup (now the Investec Champions Cup) – Europe’s top club rugby tournament.
He had also co-captained the Australian Under-21s at the 2003 World Cup and went on to become a popular figure in Ireland having played for Leinster.
After his retirement from playing, Elsom went on to become the club president of one of France’s most prestigious rugby clubs, Narbonne, from 2015 to 2016.
Narbonne went into administration in 2018, with Elsom facing allegations of financial mismanagement.
He has now been convicted of forgery and embezzlement, having being charged with backdating contracts and illegal fund transfers.
Although he was not present for the court ruling, he was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay a sum of €700,000 (£583,000).
Just before the warrant was issued, Elsom had given an interview to The Sunday Times in which he revealed he was living in Dublin and working as a rugby coach at a local school.
But the 41-year-old has since gone on the run to avoid going to jail, as he continues to deny any wrongdoing.
He had previously told The Sydney Morning Herald he believed his court hearing had been ‘a clear perversion of justice’ and claimed that he “was not informed of (the) hearing and was not given the opportunity to defend myself against the allegations”.
Now, Elsom has made a public statement to the Daily Mail from an unknown place of hiding as he explains how he plans to fight the ruling.
“I just have to use whatever information I can get from the court and pull together the documents from where I am to prepare a case,” he said.
“It was eight years ago and I don’t have full access to the club. It’s about trying to get back in touch with the club and their professionals who were in charge of the accounts and are in possession of some of the information that could exonerate me.”
Elsom also went on to say that he had no idea he was even on trial before he was sentenced.
He related what his immediate actions were once he learned of the situation.
“As soon as I saw the news reports, I just packed straight away,” he explained. “I was packing when people were calling me to tell me what they’d read.
“I was only in Dublin for six weeks. I was there on a holiday visa. I left all my things behind.
“I just had a backpack when I left, with two shirts and a washbag. It’s unusual to think that you wake up one day and you’re convicted of something and sentenced to prison when you had no idea you were on trial. There doesn’t seem like there was any genuine attempt to contact me prior to it.”
Police in Ireland had gone on to contact Folsom as they attempted to extradite him back to France where he would face prison.
However, he had already fled the country by that point.
Elsom holds the record for the most tries scored by a Wallaby forward[/caption]
He went on: “They came to Catholic University School, they came to my home and, when they couldn’t find me, they called me and said, ‘If you’re in Ireland, we’re going to bring you in’. I said, ‘That’s good, I’m not in Ireland’.”
Folsom is currently relying on the help of his friends and his savings when it comes to finances as he continues to evade the police.
“It’s almost impossible for me to generate income right now,” he said. “That might change in the future but right now it’s understandably more difficult for me to generate income while I’m under an arrest warrant and trying not to be noticed.
“It looks pretty suspicious if someone hides their face, so I just don’t go out much. If you see someone hiding their face, it probably attracts more attention. I know people where I am, so it’s not as if I’m in an igloo.
“Staying in a hotel would be a bit more worrying given they’d have my name on the room. I’ve got to try to get some exercise when I can and some sun because this could go on for a while.”
