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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
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Assistant Commissioner
Clinton John Rickards appeared in the Auckland District Court over
allegations made by a Rotorua woman, Louise Nicholas. The nature and number
of those charges were suppressed by Judge Simon Lockhart, but they relate to
historic offences, allegedly committed when Mrs Nicholas was a teenager. Two co-accused, former
policemen Robert Francis Schollum, 52, and Bradley Keith Shipton, 46,
appeared in the Tauranga District Court where Judge Russell Callender also
suppressed details of charges, including their number and nature. Rickards, suspended on
full pay for 14 months, entered no plea but professed his innocence through
his lawyer, John Haigh, QC. Rickards appeared for
the 10-minute hearing wearing a dark suit. He remained silent and looked
straight ahead while in the dock. He would vigorously
defend the charges, Mr Haigh told the court. Rickards was remanded
on bail to a pre-depositions hearing in the Rotorua District Court next
month. Regular police
prosecutors did not handle Rickards' first appearance, a task given to Crown
prosecutor Brent Stanaway of Christchurch. He did not oppose the
suppressions. In Tauranga, Schollum
and Shipton were remanded on bail - with residential conditions - to the
Rotorua District Court on March 30. Rickards at the time he
stood down from the force was Auckland regional commander. Since leaving the
police Shipton has been a bar owner and is a former Tauranga City councillor.
Schollum became a car
salesman. Outside the Tauranga
court, counsel for both men said they were concerned about whether their
clients could get a fair trial anywhere in the country after publicity about
Mrs Nicholas' allegations. Paul Mabey, QC, for
Schollum, said he would consider applying for a stay of prosecution. Shipton's counsel, Bill
Nabney, said his client was "obviously disappointed" to have been
charged but was pleased the matters were now before the court. He said he was
"going to have to look at the issue more closely" regarding his
client's ability to get a fair trial. Both lawyers said
Schollum and Shipton would continue to deny the accusations against them. The three accused were
arrested yesterday. Detective
Superintendent Nick Perry said the arrests followed investigations made by
Wellington and Rotorua-based police who had worked on the case for more than
a year. Canterbury University
media law expert John Burrows said the suppression orders imposed at the
court appearances were unusual, because it was usually the name of the
accused that was suppressed. But 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, could be the country's most expensive. One estimate puts the
cost at more than $6 million. Police gave the first
insight into the scope of what was dubbed Operation Austin in January,
releasing figures showing that more than 2000 people had been quizzed here
and overseas, with staff clocking up more than 32,456 hours. The investigation, led
by Dunedin-based officer Superintendent Nick Perry, started as soon as the
allegations surfaced. A Sunday newspaper said
the cost of the investigation included police wages and investigation costs,
and $3 million had been set aside for the commission of inquiry into the
allegations. Estimated police wages,
including Mr Rickards' pay of an estimated $200,000 while on suspension, was
at least $2 million. It also stated almost
$1.1 million was spent on travel and accommodation. |
