Allegations of Sexual Abuse
	Police Rape Allegations - Main Index Page 15 - Trial Verdict 2006
	Stuff March 31 2006 Top cop not guilty of rape, sexual abuse NOT GUILTY: Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards and two former colleagues have been cleared of historic rape allegations. Dominion Post One of the country's highest ranking police officers and two former colleagues were today cleared of historic rape and sexual abuse charges. Suspended Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards showed little emotion as a jury of seven women and five men returned their verdicts in the High Court at Auckland today. Rickards and two former police colleagues, Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum, faced a total of 20 charges of raping and sexually abusing Rotorua woman Louise Nicholas in 1985 and 1986. After a trial lasting nearly three weeks the jury took 27 hours to reach its verdict. During the trial Mrs Nicholas told the court she was raped and sexually abused by the three men in her Corlett Street flat in Rotorua and in a police house in Rutland Street when a police baton was used on her. She said the three men used their positions as police officers to intimidate her. She was scared of them and could not say no because she had lost control. The three men admitted having group sex with Mrs Nicholas but said it was consensual and her evidence in court was a lie. They said the Rutland Street incident did not happen.