Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
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Louise Nicholas'
credibility was repeatedly attacked in the High Court at Auckland yesterday
when a former flatmate was said to have seen her having consensual sex with
policemen she alleges raped her 20 years ago. A defence lawyer
revealed that the flatmate had said Nicholas "certainly wasn't saying
no" during sexual encounters with the policemen. Mrs Nicholas has always
claimed she was home alone when Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards or Brad
Shipton visited her Corlett St flat in Rotorua between 1985 and 1986. Yesterday, however,
Rickards' lawyer, John Haigh, QC, questioned her about statements by the
flatmate describing the atmosphere at the house as friendly and saying Mrs
Nicholas never looked upset when the officers left. Rickards and former
policemen Shipton and Bob Schollum face 20 charges between them including
rape, indecent assault and sexual violation. Mr Haigh said the
flatmate, who cannot be named, said she had come home one day and seen Mrs
Nicholas having sex with Shipton or Schollum. "To me she
certainly wasn't saying no," the woman said. "Whenever the fellows
called, they were always welcomed into the house. There was always a friendly
atmosphere of laughing and joking." She recalled one day
when Mrs Nicholas had been in one room with Schollum or Rickards and she was
in the lounge having sex with Shipton. "It is possible
Louise and I then swapped partners but I have no specific memory of it,"
her statement said. She also said Mrs
Nicholas never seemed upset when the men left or unhappy they were there. In court yesterday, Mrs
Nicholas repeatedly told Mr Haigh her flatmate's recollection was different
from hers. She was home alone when Rickards and Shipton came around. Mr Haigh: "She
records that on one occasion she came into your bedroom and you were having
sex with one or other of Mr Shipton or Mr Schollum and she lurked around the
bottom of the bed." Mrs Nicholas: "No,
it did not happen." She alleges the three
men forced her to have group sex and she was indecently assaulted with a
police baton in January 1986. She says Schollum had
picked her up as she walked home from work, taking her to a police house in
Rutland St. Mr Haigh asked why she
did not refuse the ride, refuse to go into the house or seek help afterwards.
He said Rickards' defence was that she simply fabricated the whole incident. "I didn't want to
walk up those stairs. I didn't want to get out of that car. I knew what was
going to happen. I knew there was going to be group sex with these men again
and I had no control over that. That had been stripped from me ages
ago," she said. Mr Haigh: "Why
didn't you walk home?" Mrs Nicholas: "And
then what?...they're going to come back again as they had been. These guys
are cops; I feared them; I didn't want what was going to happen." Abuse had been part of
her life since she was a 13-year-old growing up in Murupara, she said. The court heard that
she had made allegations against four officers working at the police station
during that time. She said the
conditioning of her life was that if she made complaints, nothing would
happen. "Why didn't you
tell your mother?" Mr Haigh asked. "I didn't want to
tell anybody about the Rutland St incident. I thought that no one would
believe me," she said. Mr Haigh suggested she
was deliberately trying to destroy Rickards and was enjoying the media
attention since her case was highlighted two years ago. She said that 2 years ago
she was approached by a reporter to tell her story. The reporter showed her
documents, statements and job sheets which showed she had been "duped
something shocking". Shipton's defence
counsel, Bill Nabney, asked her about a party in 1986 where Schollum and
Shipton had given her a ride home, claiming they had consensual sex with her
in the car. "That definitely
did not happen," she said. Paul Mabey, QC,
questioned her about a schoolteacher who claimed Mrs Nicholas had told her
she had been raped by a group of Maori on horseback. Mrs Nicholas said the
teacher's recollection was wrong. He questioned her about
a statement where she said she had got drunk and had consensual sex with
Schollum at a house in Kusab St. Mr Mabey said Schollum
bought the house in Kusab St in February 1986, after the alleged Rutland St
incident. "It's in the
statement. I must have said it but I don't remember having sex in Kusab
St," she said. Mr Mabey questioned her
about her brother Peter's wedding in February 2003 where Schollum was invited
and was filming guests. He asked her if she had danced with Schollum that day
or flirted with him. "No, I definitely
would not, thank you." Did she remember
lifting up her skirt and showing him her suspender belt? Mr Mabey asked. "Is it on the
video? No I did not." Mrs Nicholas' family,
including her mother and brother, are expected to start giving evidence
today. |