|
|
Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
|
|
|
|
The three men accused
of the rape and sexual assault of Louise Nicholas have been found not guilty
by a jury at the High Court in Auckland this afternooon. Assistant Police
Commissioner Clint Rickards and former police colleagues Bob Schollum and
Brad Shipton had denied a total of 20 charges. There were emotional
scenes in the courtroom as they gave their verdict at around 3pm. Family and
supporters of the three men cried and hugged each other. Schollum and Shipton
also cried, Newstalk ZB reported, while Rickards showed little emotion. The jury had spent more
than two days considering its verdict. Mrs Nicholas had
alleged that between September 1985 and December 1986, Shipton and Rickards
visited her Rotorua flat between six and 12 times uninvited for sex she did
not consent to. She had also alleged
that in January 1986 Schollum picked her up while she was walking home from
her job at the BNZ Bank and took her to a police house where the trio took
turns raping her before indecently assaulting her with a police baton. |
