NZ Herald
February 2, 2004

Police cover-up allegation
Responses from the accused


Statement by lawyer Daniel McLellan, Acting for Clint Rickards, Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum

My clients are deeply concerned by the coverage in the Dominion Post and by repetitions of it in other media. Senior counsel Julian Miles, QC, has been retained and we will be discussing the implications of the publication with our clients early this week. They have no further comment to make in the meantime other than the statements already made to the Dominion Post which are now provided in full.

Any repetition of the story in other media will be in full knowledge of my clients' strong denial of the allegations and of the serious damage that the story is doing to their reputations and to their families.



Statement by Clint Rickards, 29 January 2004

A woman's recent serious accusations about events nearly 20 years ago have no substance whatsoever. A full police investigation in the early 1990s completely cleared me of any wrongdoing.

Publication of these allegations by the media will inevitably cause great harm and distress to my family and me.

I believe it would be absolutely irresponsible for any news media organisation to give the allegations credence by publishing them.



Statement by Brad Shipton

I have been asked to respond to serious allegations made recently to a reporter by a woman which she first made in the early 1990s when I was an officer in the New Zealand Police. I denied the allegations absolutely then, and I deny them absolutely now. They were the subject of a thorough police investigation about 10 years ago and as a result I was cleared of all allegations. The reintroduction of these unfounded allegations will cause me and those close to me both harm and distress. It would in my view be totally irresponsible for these false allegations to be given any publicity.



Statement by Bob Schollum

The serious allegations a woman is now making were first made and dealt with by the police more than 10 years ago. I was then a police officer and underwent a careful, thorough investigation by senior police officers.

I was completely cleared of the allegations. Her allegations have absolutely no foundation.