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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
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Another three secret
witnesses are expected to start giving evidence in the High Court at Auckland
today at the trial of one of the country's highest ranked police officers and
two former policemen. Suppression orders
prevent the media from publishing the names of the people or any of the
evidence they are giving for the Crown, at the trial of Assistant
Commissioner Clint Rickards, 45, and former police officers, Brad Shipton,
47, and Bob Schollum, 53. The trio deny 20
charges, including the historic rape, indecent assault and sexual violation
of Rotorua woman Louise Nicholas. Mrs Nicholas told the
court when she gave evidence last week, that in January 1986 the three men
took turns at raping her in a police house in Rotorua's Rutland St before
violating her with a police baton. She also alleged
Shipton and Rickards, uninvited, visited her Rotorua flat in Corlett St
between six and 12 times, between September 1985 and January 1986, for sex,
to which she said she never consented. The accused said she
consented to all sexual encounters and the incident she said happened in the
police house was a complete fabrication. Yesterday Justice Tony
Randerson heard from the 14th witness in the trial. The name, any
identifying particulars and the evidence given by the witness has also been
suppressed. The trial is expected
to run into next week. |
