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Allegations
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CHARGES DENIED: Clint Rickards leaves Auckland District
Court on bail. He made no comment but his lawyer, John Haigh QC, says he 'utterly
denied' any offending. Assistant Police
Commissioner Clint Rickards and two former police colleagues have been
arrested and charged over offences alleged to have happened almost 20 years
ago. The men were arrested
yesterday, more than a year after police acted on allegations made by Rotorua
woman Louise Nicholas, revealed exclusively in The Dominion Post in January
last year. The allegations forced
the Government to intervene and a commission of inquiry into police conduct
was launched. It is on hold while criminal proceedings take place. Rickards, 44, appeared
in Auckland District Court. The other two accused, Brad Shipton, 46, a former
Tauranga city councillor, and Bob Schollum, 52, a Napier used-car dealer,
appeared in Tauranga District Court. The Dominion Post has
been stopped from revealing the number of charges laid, what they relate to
and detail about the alleged offending by extensive suppression orders put in
place by Judge Russell Callander in Tauranga and Judge Simon Lockhart in
Auckland. The men did not seek
name suppression. Rickards was bailed
till his next appearance, in Rotorua District Court on April 15. Shipton and
Schollum were bailed to appear in the same court on March 30. Rickards' lawyer, John Haigh,
QC, said his client "utterly denied" any offending. He had been suspended
from the job for 14 months, Mr Haigh said, and this was the first opportunity
to publicly state his position, despite the intense scrutiny which had deeply
affected him and his family. He had held his
silence, despite the great cost and the time it took for charges to be laid. Rickards, with shaved
head and a trim moustache and goatee, wore a navy suit for his brief
appearance in courtroom No 1 at Auckland District Court, where several
supporters gathered in the public gallery. He made no comment and
stood in the dock with his hands clasped and chin up. Both Mr Haigh and the
crown prosecutor, Brent Stanaway of Christchurch, supported all suppression
orders. The court said Mrs Nicholas could be named. Schollum's lawyer, Paul
Mabey, QC, told reporters outside the Tauranga court that he doubted whether
the three would be able to receive a fair trial, given the amount of
publicity the alleged offences had received. His client continued to
"absolutely" deny allegations made by Mrs Nicholas. Shipton's lawyer, Bill
Nabney, said his client was disappointed to be charged, but pleased the
charges were now before the court, where they could be dealt with
appropriately. Mrs Nicholas declined
to comment last night. She said she had been asked by police not to speak to
the media as the charges were now before the courts. The original charges
were laid in Rotorua, where the inquiry Operation Austin was based. About 20
detectives – the size of a murder inquiry team – worked for almost 14 months
on the case, interviewing about 2000 people in New Zealand and overseas.
Staff clocked up 48,500 man-hours at a cost of more than $1.6 million. The hearing in Tauranga
was to start at 2.15pm, but proceedings were delayed for 30 minutes while the
charge sheets – printed in Rotorua – were driven by a police officer to
Tauranga. Shipton wore a blue
shirt and purple tie and Schollum a dark suit. Shipton's usually shaven head
had been replaced by a short crop of dark hair. Only six friends and
family members were present for the 20-minute hearing. The men were taken
separately to the courthouse from Tauranga police station, where they had
been charged earlier in the day. Shipton shoved a TVNZ cameraman as he got
out of a police car and entered the court. After the hearing, the
pair were let out the back door of the court to avoid the media waiting
outside but were unable to get away without being photographed. Canterbury University
media law expert John Burrows said the suppression orders imposed at the
men's appearance were unusual. Usually, the name of the accused was
suppressed. Professor Burrows said
any decision on suppression was made only after careful consideration. "The judge has had
everything explained to him. It is based on the information he has got."
The prosecution, though
only at a first-appearance stage, looks likely to be New Zealand's most
expensive. An estimate in January put the cost at more than $6 million. Captions: Charges denied: Brad
Shipton arrives at Tauranga District Court. Lawyer Bill Nabney said his
client was disappointed to be charged, but pleased the charges were now
before the court. Picture: PHIL REID Charges denied: Bob
Schollum leaves court accompanied by a supporter. Lawyer Paul Mabey, QC, says
he continues to `absolutely' deny allegations made by Mrs Nicholas. Picture:
PHIL REID Louise Nicholas: Her
allegations were revealed exclusively in The Dominion Post in January last
year. |
