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Waikato Times
January 4, 1997
Rape claim trauma remains
Nick Wills is still carrying the scars of
being falsely accused of rape last year.
The 24-year-old law student says he is still wary around people he doesn't
know well -- a hangover, he says, from a social blacklisting he received when
word got around Waikato
University that he had
raped a fellow law student.
"I still feel a bit shy around some people. I don't feel I can approach
some people in the university law school -- I know some of them still think
of me as a rapist."
Mr Wills was cleared of the rape charges three months after they were laid in
August last year.
His accuser, who remains anonymous, was charged with making a false complaint
to police.
His claims of an inadequate police investigation into his case were
vindicated in October when a Police Complaints Authority report said there
was a "neglect of duty" by the police in their handling of the rape
inquiry.
Mr Wills says he now feels he has been released.
"It's something I can let go of now."
He says he appreciated all the support he received during the last year from
many people, including some people he did not even know.
"I think my plight hit a few raw nerves with lots of people."
Next year he plans to return to Waikato
University to finish
his fourth year of his law degree.
After that, he'll be in the market for a job.
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CAPTION: Nick Wills: feels he's been released.
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