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Allegations
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Auckland: Clint
Rickards, Auckland’s top policeman, yesterday insisted in the High Court he
was innocent of rape and said his accuser was a liar. Rickards, who was stood
down from police duties following his arrest last year in relation to the
historic rape, sexual violation and indecent assault of Louise Nicholas,
yesterday called her allegations vindictive. Over and over in the
witness box Rickards said: Louise Nicholas is lying. He said: The
allegations made by Mrs Nicholas are lies. That’s the only way I can describe
it. Rickards is charged
along with former police officers Bob Schollum (53) and Brad Shipton (47),
who all worked at the Rotorua Police Station during the early 1980s. Mrs Nicholas has
alleged that, between September 1985 and January 1986, Rickards and Shipton
visited her Corlett St flat uninvited, for sex to which she did not consent. She also alleges that,
in January 1986, Schollum drove her to a police house in Rutland St, Rotorua,
where the three took turns at raping her before indecently assaulting her
with a police baton. Rickards (45), who has
five children and lived with his partner and two children in Rotorua at the
time of the alleged rapes, described sex with Mrs Nicholas as a happy
occasion. We laughed, we giggled.
It was just a normal sexual relationship, he told his lawyer John Haigh QC. Mr Haigh: Did you ever
force yourself on her in any way. Rickards: No I did not.
Mr Haigh: Well, what do
you say to the allegations. Rickards: Louise
Nicholas is lying. Mrs Nicholas has said
Rickards was wearing police uniform at times when he visited her flat but
Rickards said he was in the CIB at the alleged time and would have been
wearing plain clothes. He said the first time
he had sex with Mrs Nicholas was at a house in which Schollum lived, at
Kusabs Rd. Shipton had taken him, and Shipton stood and watched before
Shipton then had sex with Mrs Nicholas and Rickards watched. He could not
remember how they ended up at the house or why they had gone there. He said
Mrs Nicholas had got on his knee, her arms around him and started kissing his
ear. The second encounter happened at Mrs Nicholas’ Corlett St flat, where he
had gone with Shipton. He believed she had her period or an infection so she
performed oral sex on him, he said, and then he went and had sex with her
flatmate. He said he was not proud of his actions and it embarrassed him
today. But he also said, I make no excuses. It was 20 years ago. It was a fun
time. |
