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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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Clint Rickards If it was true that a 16-year-old girl
was violated with a whisky bottle, then suspended Assistant Commissioner
Clint Rickards wasn't there, his lawyer said in closing defence submissions
at the police sex trial yesterday. John Haigh, QC, told the jurors
there were many inconsistencies in the alleged victim's evidence but they
were being asked to "forgive, forget and go on to convict Assistant
Commissioner Rickards". "Of all the things she has
got wrong the identification of this man [Rickards] must be at the top,"
he said. "If there was an incident, he wasn't involved." Mr Haigh also said co-accused Brad
Shipton's defence was not Rickards' "and vice versa". As to why the woman had made the
allegations, he said he "could not see into her mind", but said
they were uncovered by "one of the most expensive and intensive
investigations that anyone can remember ... This was no ordinary
investigation." Mr Haigh said that it was "a
bit rich" that Crown prosecutor Brent Stanaway had accused Rickards of
being a liar, given that he had taken evidence of truth from Rickards during
his career as an undercover officer to secure convictions. Bill Nabney, for Shipton, also
pointed to the inconsistencies in the alleged victim's evidence. Earlier, in the prosecution's
closing, Mr Stanaway said the number scribbled in Shipton's notebook that led
police to the alleged victim was an important clue in the trial, as it it
showed him "keeping track of his liabilities". The number was in notebooks from
1985 onwards, while the offending is said to have happened in 1984. Mr Stanaway said Shipton had her
down as "somebody who might come out of his past". He said the victim's
inconsistencies were "forgiveable"' - she recalled the event
clearly, just not the peripheral details. He said they could rely on the
woman's evidence to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. Mr Stanaway said she "is not
clever, conniving or deceiving". She was poorly educated, naive and had
difficulty reading which may have led to inconsistencies in different
statements. "She has her flaws, like we
all do, but she is honest." He pointed to the way the woman
had said "one of the three" men had tattoos on an arm, but could
not remember which one as a pointer that she was not embellishing her
evidence. Rickards had tattoos on his arm
that had been seen in photographs in the media, but she had not singled him
out. Mr Stanaway said the incident was
not about sexual gratification, but about "degradation, humiliation, and
what they could get away with". Mr Stanaway said the woman's
identification of Shipton, with whom she said had a consensual sexual
relationship, or Schollum, who she said wanted to join in, had not been
challenged. "And she is sure the man she
knew as Clint was there and actively participating." Mr Stanaway questioned the
relevance of defence evidence of Shipton having a moustache, when the victim
said he was clean-shaven, given her identification of him was not challenged. He said her statement under
cross-examination about the Louise Nicholas case - "I'm trying to make
sure these guys are done"- had been misreported in that it left off her
clause "for what they've done" which he said referred to her. Mr Stanaway also referred to the
"legendary All Black" Steve McDowell, called in Rickards' defence
to support claims he had been incapacitated by a sore knee, saying he was so
vague, "you have to wonder why he was called".
Clinton John Tukutahi Rickards, 46, suspended Assistant
Police Commissioner.
They deny kidnapping a 16-year-old
girl and indecently assaulting her with a bottle some time between November
1983 and August 1984 in Rotorua. |
