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Allegations of abuse
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Home / police allegations / Rickards,
Shipton, Schollum vs Jane Doe Page 3 - 2007 Trial of
Rickards, Shipton, Schollum - Verdict Not Guilty |
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Suspended Assistant Police
Commissioner Clint Rickards and two former police officers have been found
not guilty on kidnapping and indecent assault charges. Rickards, 46, and former policemen
Brad Shipton, 49, and Bob Schollum, 54, were standing trial for the alleged
kidnapping and indecent assault of a 16-year-old in Rotorua between November 1983
and August 1984. Each man faced one charge of
kidnapping and one of indecent assault. All three men were found not guilty
on all charges. The jury, comprising eight men and
four women, deliberated for more than eight hours on Wednesday and another
three hours on Thursday morning. There was shrieking and crying as
the jury foremen read out the six verdicts. Family members couldn't contain
their emotions, some crying and one thanking the jury. Another yelled
"yes" as the acquitted men were led from court.
The complainant, who has name
suppression, gave graphic details in the Auckland High Court last Tuesday of
what she alleges happened 23 years ago. The 39-year-old says she fell in love
with Brad Shipton as a 16-year-old and the pair had a five-month
relationship. But she says even though he asked her out, they never seemed to
go on any dates, but just drive round in his car, park up and have sex. The woman says soon after that he
suggested she meet some of his friends, with a suggestion she have sex with
some of them. She says she did not want to do that, but despite this,
Schollum started turning up on the car drives and started trying to join in
on their sexual encounters. The woman says she would refuse, get upset and
Shipton would take her home. Then one weekend she went to a
Rotorua house where she claims five men carried her into a bedroom,
handcuffing her and indecently assaulted her with a bottle. The only men she identified were
Shipton, Schollum and Rickards. The trial looked set to wrap up
Tuesday this week when the Crown prosecution suddenly called two surprise
witnesses. As Brad Shipton's wife testified in her husband's defence, her
family were flown to Sharon Shipton was her husband's
only witness. During the trial she revealed her husband was not in Rotorua
for most of February 1984 - a crucial part of the timeframe when the alleged
bottle incident is said to have occurred. She claimed she and her husband
were on a three week holiday, with her cousin Christine Filer in Wanganui. Sharon Shipton's father and cousin
contradicted her evidence. Filer told the court the three week visit never
happened as she "would have remembered that length of time". Prior to the jury being released
Crown prosecutor Brent Stanaway told the court there had been allegations of
lying on every side by the accused, witnesses and the complainant. Stanaway admitted the
complainant's evidence had also been hazy on several details. However he
argued that is proof the story was not fabricated, otherwise she would recall
all the details even if she had to make them up. The Crown also stressed Brad
Shipton has never denied having a six-month relationship with the teenager,
nor denied trying to get Bob Schollum to join in their sexual encounters. |
