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Allegations
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Dominion Post Police are on the brink
of deciding whether to lay criminal charges against three men accused of
raping Louise Nicholas while serving as police officers. They have also, for the
first time, released details showing the scale of their complex investigation
– dubbed Operation Austin – which has grown to include complaints against
others, and which has so far cost the taxpayer $1.4 million. Crown Law solicitors
are evaluating the weight of information collected by police since
allegations were published exclusively in The Dominion Post last January that
Mrs Nicholas was pack-raped and violated with a police baton by three
officers as a teenager in 1986. Mrs Nicholas named Assistant
Police Commissioner Clint Rickards and former officers Bob Schollum and Brad
Shipton as the three men involved. They all vehemently deny the allegations. Mr Rickards stepped
down from duty the day after the allegations were made. He remains stood down,
on full pay. Police are also
investigating allegations that the incident was covered up by John Dewar, a
senior Rotorua detective who befriended Mrs Nicholas at the time she first
raised the allegations, to protect the trio. Police confirmed yesterday
the investigation was in its final stages. They would not say when a decision
on charges would be made, but it is believed Crown Law solicitors will make
their recommendations within a fortnight. It will then be up to
Police Commissioner Rob Robinson and his investigation team as to whether
they lay charges. Options include
charging some or all of the men, calling for more information to be
collected, or deciding not to pursue charges. Mrs Nicholas said while
she was nervous about the police's decision, she wanted any potential legal
processes to start as soon as possible. The wait during the
past year had been excruciating, but she understood the need for police to be
meticulous in their investigation and ensure any case was watertight. "For us it's not a
matter of if, it's a matter of when, but when has taken a hell of a long time
to get here. It's bloody frustrating," she said. Operation A team of about 20
detectives, the size of a full-blown murder inquiry team, completed the bulk
of their work investigating Mrs Nicholas' rape claims just before Christmas
and forwarded preliminary findings to Crown Law solicitors then. Police gave their first
insight into the scope of the operation yesterday, releasing figures showing
that more than 2000 people had been interviewed in A commission of inquiry
into police conduct, announced by Prime Minister Helen Clark four days after
Mrs Nicholas' and, subsequently, Kaitaia woman Judith Garrett's allegations
of police rape, now depends on the outcome of the police investigation. The commission was put
on hold indefinitely in August and will not proceed till criminal
investigations and any subsequent court action are completed, because of
fears it could contaminate the criminal process. It will meet again next
month to evaluate police progress. |
