Waikato Times
February 7, 2004

Miller himself berated for inquiry that he fronted
by Nicola Boyes

One of the main players in revelations of the alleged police pack rape of a Rotorua woman suffered his own public berating following an inquiry he headed.

Rex Miller, former Hamilton CIB head, conducted a Police Complaints Authority investigation in 1995 into the handling of pack rape allegations by former Rotorua woman Louise Nicholas.

Mrs Nicholas alleges Auckland's top police officer, Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards (formerly Waikato's police chief), Tauranga district councillor Brad Shipton and Napier car salesman Bob Schollum raped and violated her with a police baton in about 1986 when the three were working as police officers in Rotorua.

In 1993 she told then Rotorua CIB head, John Dewar, but now she alleges he advised her against making a complaint.

Mr Miller was sent in with other senior police officers to investigate the handling of the case.

Mr Miller's investigation saw the three officers counselled and Mr Dewar cleared of any criminal or disciplinary offences.

A year later Mr Miller was sent on another investigation which saw him run into Mr Rickards again, and ended with his own performance being publicly scrutinised.

Mr Miller and Hamilton CIB detective Senior Sergeant Mike Whitehead headed Operation Vine, an investigation which started in November 1996 into allegations that five Gisborne police officers had been supplying the Mongrel Mob with drugs in return for information.

The officers were charged but acquitted and Mr Miller and Mr Whitehead were hammered following an inquiry by Judge Russell Callander, who said there was a lack of evidence, investigators failed to interview numerous witnesses, prejudged the five guilty and influenced the assessment of evidence.

Mr Miller and Mr Whitehead took the issue to the Employment Court, claiming they were scapegoats, and later won $50,000 between them.

Toward the end of Operation Vine, in November 1997, Mr Rickards, who had been part of Mr Miller's Rotorua investigation, was made top cop in Gisborne.

As Mr Miller was going through a public slating, Mr Rickards was given the top job as Waikato police district manager at the end of 1998. Mr Miller left his position in Hamilton in March 1999.

At the time Mr Miller was one of three inspectors required to reapply for their jobs under the national police review. At the time he said he "couldn't be bothered with that crap", and resigned.

Mr Miller says he has no axe to grind with anyone in coming out and making the statements he has surrounding the pack rape allegations.

"It's just facts, isn't it? Facts are facts.

"It's not in my nature."

He says the extent of what has come out has amazed even him.

"It's good that it's come out so that it can be resolved once and for all."