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Allegations of Abuse
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Wellington:
The case of a second woman alleging rape involving a police officer is being
taken into account as terms of reference are drawn up for a commission of
inquiry into allegations by Rotorua woman Louise Nicholas. Judith
Garrett took a private prosecution against the Attorney-general, alleging
police failed to properly investigate a Kaitaia rape claim against a police
officer. Yesterday,
a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Helen Clark confirmed a letter had been
received from Ms Garrett. "Ms
Garrett's case has been referred to the Crown Law Office to take into
consideration as it draws up the terms of reference [for the commission of
inquiry]," the spokeswoman said. Ms
Garrett claimed she was raped by a constable at the Kaitaia police station in
1988 and laid a complaint with police within 24 hours. She
told National Radio yesterday she hoped her case would be raised by the
commission. The
policeman against whom she made the rape allegation had been dismissed from
the force for disgraceful conduct but police did not charge him with rape
after initially indicating they would, Ms Garrett said. A subsequent private
prosecution was unsuccessful. The
policeman admitted having sex with Ms Garrett but claimed it was consensual. Ms
Garrett said she had been in touch this week with Mrs Nicholas, whom she did
not know, since news broke of Mrs Nicholas's allegations she was pack-raped
in Rotorua in 1986 by three police officers, including assistant police
commissioner Clint Rickards. All three men in that case vigorously deny the
allegations. It
has also been alleged former Rotorua CIB head John Dewar, the man who
investigated Mrs Nicholas' original allegations, manipulated Mrs Nicholas in
order to protect his colleagues. Mr
Dewar denies all allegations of wrongdoing. Police
national headquarters spokesman Jon Neilson said yesterday cases relevant to that
of Mrs Nicholas, including Ms Garrett's, would be reviewed as part of a
reopened criminal investigation into Mrs Nicholas' allegations. Deputy
Commissioner Steve Long would make decisions about matters appearing to
warrant future action, Mr Neilson said. In
her comments to National Radio yesterday, , Ms Garrett said the alleged rape
occurred after she drove the policeman, at his request, to the Kaitaia police
station from a bar in nearby Awanui in the early hours of a Sunday morning in
1988. She
said she got out of her car after the policeman claimed a light was not
working, was handcuffed, taken into the station, supposedly to get the
handcuff key, and then raped in a station office. |
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