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Allegations
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The family of Louise
Nicholas released a brief statement on Saturday. A High Court jury found
Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards and former officers Bob Schollum
and Brad Shipton not guilty of the sex charges dating back two decades. A family spokesman says
Louise Nicholas is feeling "much as people might expect" at this
time. The statement says
Nicholas wants to thank her family, friends and supporters. It also
says she wants to thank the hundreds and hundreds of people around New
Zealand - who she has never met - who have sent cards and letters of support
to her. A commission of inqiry
to investigate police misconduct was ordered by the Prime Minister in early
2004, following Nicholas' claims, and a second case of an alleged police rape
from a Kaitaia woman. The commission is on hold
until all police investigations and any legal action is completed. Brad Shipton's
brother Greg says he believes the case against the three men was politically
motivated, and shouldn't go unchallenged. Meanwhile, a support
group for rape survivors says the verdicts in the case could deter other
women from coming forward to report rape and sexual abuse. Auckland Rape Crisis
director, Dr Kim McGregor, says it is hard for a rape survivor to face a
court and relive the trauma of their ordeal. She says for a jury to then find
that it was not proven beyond reasonable doubt that the rape occurred,
is devastating. McGregor says such an
outcome is likely to put most rape victims off taking a complaint to the
police. She says only one in 10 rapes are reported and of those, only 5%
result in a conviction. |
