|
|
Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
|
|
|
|
The Crown has begun its
closing address in the trial of the three men accused of raping Louise
Nicholas. Assistant police
commissioner Clint Rickards and former officers Bob Schollum and Brad Shipton
face a range of historical sex charges. The trial at the High
Court in Auckland is now in its third week. The Crown says Nicholas
was ill-quipped to deal with the predatory advances of the three police
officers when she was 18 years old. Prosecutor Brent
Stanaway told the jury during his closing arguments that the credibility of
Nicholas was central to its case. He said she is not
eloquent, cultured or educated, but someone with a nuggety, down-to-earth
personality. Stanaway said her
evidence of being allegedly raped by the three men was compelling and at
times chilling, and had a ring of truth to it which was powerful. He described the
then-18-year-old in her own words as "playdough" in the hands of
the three accused, and said how she couldn't just tell them to go to hell. He said she was as an
unfortunate teenager who was not socially or physically equipped to handle
the predatory advances of three police officers. The prosecutor also
told the jury of what he called the sheer audacity of what the accused could
do to young women in the 1980s, and what they could get away with as police officers.
He described the
behaviour of Rickards and the other two officers as "outrageous,
audacious and cruel". Defence lawyers
finished presenting their evidence earlier on Monday. One of them said his
client had spent more than a decade denying the claims. Paul Mabey QC told the
court that his client Bob Schollum continues to deny the allegations, as he
has done since 1995, calling them total lies. A witness from the
bridal party of Louise Nicholas' brother's wedding was called to give
evidence earlier on Monday. Matron-of-honour
Kerry-Anne Best told how Schollum was chatting with Nicholas when she lifted
her bridesmaid's skirt and showed him the garter all the bridal party were
wearing at the wedding in 1993. But the Crown later told
the jury she had promised her family she would behave civilly toward Schollum
at the wedding despite their previous encounters. Schollum is not being
called to give evidence himself. |
