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Home / police allegations / Rickards,
Shipton, Schollum vs Jane Doe Page 2 - 2007 Trial of
Rickards, Shipton, Schollum Week 2 |
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The wife of one of the accused in
the police sex trial has been called back to testify again. Sharon Shipton yesterday denied
lying to the court to cover for him as part of a "jack-up" by the defence. She said she and husband Brad
Shipton were on a month-long holiday in February 1984, during the period it
is alleged the offences against the 16-year-old girl took place. During cross-examination
yesterday, Crown prosecutor Brent Stanaway challenged this, saying the
holiday was a week at the most, and produced statements from Mrs Shipton's
family that contradicted her reasons for the break. In the High Court at Auckland, Mr
Stanaway said Mrs Shipton's evidence for her husband's defence was a
"recent fabrication" made up only after the alleged victim gave
evidence last week. Mr Stanaway said Mrs Shipton rang
her cousin, with whom she said she stayed during the holiday in Wanganui,
"after a silence of years" only when the complainant had finished
giving evidence. He asked Mrs Shipton why she had
never contacted the cousin earlier and he said the call was actually to warn
her the police might be ringing. Mrs Shipton also said in her
evidence on Thursday that they were in Wanganui because her grandmother was
being moved into a rest home. Mr Stanaway handed her statements,
taken from family members over the weekend - including her father and uncle -
that he said showed the grandmother was actually moved a year or more before.
Mrs Shipton said she did not accept this. Mrs Shipton, 53, is a project
leader at the Ministry of Justice in Wellington and has been married to
Shipton, 49, since 1978. She was the only witness called in his defence.
Shipton has elected not to give evidence. As Mr Stanaway questioned Mrs
Shipton about inconsistencies in her evidence, she countered by saying the
alleged victim had given conflicting evidence as well. Mr Stanaway asked how she knew
this as the evidence was given in a closed court and Mrs Shipton said her
husband had told her. "He said to me, 'I cannot
believe how these lies are affecting our lives'. I've had that conversation
almost daily with him for two years. And he said that he loved me." Mr Stanaway: "And did you say
you loved him?" Mrs Shipton: "Yes." Mr Stanaway: "And that you
were prepared to lie for him?" Mrs Shipton: "I never ever
said to my husband that I would lie for him." Mr Stanaway said her discussions
with Shipton had impacted on her evidence. "This is a combined effort of
all three accused in assisting you with the evidence you are giving." Mrs Shipton: "Absolutely not,
Mr Stanaway." Mr Stanaway said a letter sent on
Mrs Shipton's behalf last week by Clint Rickards' lawyer, John Haigh, QC,
asking Wanganui Hospital for the grandmother's health records showed the
defence team was working as one. The court was then cleared and
when the jury returned a statement was read saying the letter was drafted by
private investigator Mark Templeman, who was working for the three accused,
but was sent without Mr Haigh's knowledge. Once Mr Haigh found out he viewed
it as "entirely inappropriate". Mr Stanaway told Mrs Shipton her
evidence of the month away from Rotorua "is just a jack-up". "[This] jack-up has only been
implemented in the last few days." Mrs Shipton: "Mr Stanaway,
the statements you have put to me today are the jack-up." Mr Stanaway asked Mrs Shipton why
she had never gone to the police earlier about her husband being away for the
entire month of February. Mrs Shipton said she would never
help or assist the Operation Austin investigation into historic police sex
crimes in any way "because I've seen, read and heard what is the most
shameful, unethical, unprofessional conduct of that team". Mrs Shipton said she knew when she
gave her evidence the investigation team would have been "running around
all over the country and possibly the world trying to prove I'm a liar. I'm
not". - Additional reporting NEWSTALK ZB |
