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Allegations
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The older brother of
alleged Rotorua rape victim Louise Nicholas has told a court it was hard to
accurately recall events which happened 20 years ago. Peter Crawford was
giving evidence in the trial in the High Court at Auckland today of three men
Ms Nicholas says raped and sexually abused her when they were serving
policemen in Rotorua in 1985 and 1986. On trial are assistant
police commissioner Clint Rickards, who is suspended on full pay, and former
policemen Bradley Keith Shipton and Robert Schollum. They have denied a total
of 20 charges of rape and sexual abuse. Mr Crawford described
his family's close association with police when they lived in Murupara in the
mid 1980s. He said he became good friends with several police officers,
including the accused Schollum. Mr Crawford moved to
Rotorua about 1985 and used to drink at the Rotorua police bar and Cobb &
Co with all three accused during the period the alleged rape and abuse
occurred (September 1985 to December 1986). He said Shipton and
Rickards were "big guys" who used to work out in the gym but he
said he never saw them working out. He said he saw both men
in team policing uniforms which he described as a long dark trench coat-like
jacket. Ms Nicholas said in her
evidence Shipton and Rickards regularly visited her for sex without her
consent. Sometimes they wore police uniform, sometimes they wore suits. Defence lawyers
suggested the men were in the CIB and did not wear uniforms. Mr Crawford said
he has seen Shipton and Rickards in uniform. In cross-examination
Schollum's lawyer Paul Mabey QC told Mr Crawford he was not interested in
evidence he "may have heard". "We don't really
deal in guessing Mr Crawford," Mr Mabey said. Mr Crawford said he
could only go with what he had been told - it was 20 years ago. The trial was expected
to last three weeks. |
