One News
February 4, 2004

Deathbed confession in rape case

A deathbed confession linked to the Rotorua police rape allegations has added fresh fuel to the controversial case.

Louise Nicholas' allegations that she was raped by three Rotorua police officers in 1986 have already prompted the launch of three separate inquiries in the last week.

Now Nicholas' brother Peter Crawford is claiming he received a deathbed confession from former police sergeant and close friend Trevor Clayton as the man lay dying of cancer.

Crawford says the man asked for Nicholas and her family to forgive him, backing her claims of a rape and subsequent cover up.

"He got quite emotional and I felt he wanted to get something off his chest," Crawford says.

Clayton was a police sergeant serving in Rotorua at the time Nicholas claims she was raped by three other officers.

Those men -Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards, and former officers Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum, strongly deny the claims.

Crawford claims a few days before Trevor Clayton died he asked him to come over. He says although Clayton did not mention the names of the men involved he is convinced he was talking about Nicholas' rape allegations.

"He broke down and held my hand and basically he wanted to come clean with the issues regarding my sister. He asked me for forgiveness and Mum and Dad's forgiveness and Louise's forgiveness."

Police documents show Clayton told Police Inspector John Dewar he was prepared to lie on oath to protect his mates.

Dewar, former head of the Rotorua CIB, conducted the original investigations into Nicholas' claims.

Crawford says he is certain Clayton was talking about those claims.

"He told me he was gagged, that he was told to shut up."

He says Clayton was telling him police officers had acted unlawfully in the way they had treated his sister.

"I think at the time with Trevor being out of the police force, his relationship obviously with his mates, if you like, in the police force became strained over the issue."

Crawford says he still considers Clayton a friend.

Since Nicholas went public with her claims, the Police Commissioner has re-opened criminal investigations into the case, the Police Complaints Authority is also investigating and Prime Minister Helen Clark has promised a commission of inquiry into the handling of the allegations.

The commissioner appointed by the government to look into police handling of Nicholas's claims will be named later this month.