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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
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Louise Nicholas did not
want to have sex with three men now charged with raping, sexually violating
and indecently assaulting her nearly 20 years ago, when she was 18, a court
heard yesterday. But, the Rotorua woman
alleges, she felt powerless to reject their sexual advances because they were
policemen - combined with their physical presence. One of the country's
top police officers, Assistant Commissioner Clinton Rickards, and two former
police officers, Bradley Shipton and Robert Schollum, are before Rotorua
District Court judge Chris McGuire for a depositions hearing on a raft of 20
collective charges. All three have denied
the allegations strenuously. John Haigh, QC, is representing Rickards, Paul
Mabey, QC, appears for Schollum and Bill Nabney for Shipton. Details of the case are
covered by strict suppression orders, which Judge McGuire said "may be
amended as we go down the path". Crown prosecutor Mark
Zarifeh said Louise Nicholas was flatting in Corlett St, Rotorua, in 1986 at
the time of the alleged offending. The three accused were all working at the
Rotorua police station. The Nicholas family had
known Schollum for some years and she met the other two through him, said Mr
Zarifeh. Although she did not consider Rickards and Shipton friends, they
became regular visitors. "The sole purpose
of their visits to Ms Nicholas' address was to have sexual intercourse with
her," he said. Shipton and Rickards
went to her house six to 12 times and each had sex with her against her will.
One evening in early
1986, Ms Nicholas was walking home from work when Schollum stopped her and
insisted on giving her a ride to her place. But he drove past her street and
on to Rutland St, where she had never been. He pulled into the
driveway of a house being rented by Shipton who was sitting on the balcony.
Ms Nicholas immediately became concerned but Schollum reassured her and
encouraged her to go in. They joined Shipton and Rickards who were drinking
beer on the balcony. A protesting Ms
Nicholas was led into a bedroom by Schollum and the other two joined them.
Alleged rapes and indecencies followed. The prosecutor said Ms Nicholas did
not report it to the police then, "given the position of the defendants
and the fact she felt intimidated by them". He said from December
1992 she told her family and then the police. An investigation followed but
charges were not laid. The men were interviewed in 1995 and each acknowledged
a consensual sexual relationship with Louise Nicholas, including a group
sexual encounter. Ms Nicholas renewed her
allegations in January last year, resulting in a new investigation and charges
being laid. Her mother-in-law
Phyllis Nicholas said in evidence that her son Ross started going out with
Louise in late 1985. She told of occasions
when Louise was off work unwell and had rung requesting to be picked up and
taken to the Nicholas home. Mrs Nicholas did not ask her what was wrong,
though one time when she found her very upset and doubled up in pain she got
her own doctor to visit Louise. Mrs Nicholas said she
had twice seen a marked police car at, or near, Louise's flat when Louise had
called her to come but did not ask what it was there for. "She had only
been going with Ross for a short time. I didn't feel I knew her well
enough." Louise's husband Ross,
who was 21 when he met her, said he had been alone at Louise's house one day when
Shipton and Rickards, in police uniforms, knocked on the door. They asked if
a colleague was there. When Mr Nicholas said
he wasn't "they just left". The hearing will
continue today. Complainant |
