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Allegations of abuse
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Home / police allegations / Rickards,
Shipton, Schollum vs Jane Doe Page 4 - Initial Reaction to
Not Guilty Verdict |
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Clint Rickards' future remains
under a cloud despite being cleared for a second time on sex charges. On Thursday the suspended
Assistant Police Commissioner and two former police officers were 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. Rickards, who was in charge of the
entire One News has taken a look at the
impact of the two sex trials on his once stellar career. In 1993 Rickards said that any
rape of a woman is horrific. But for the past three years he has been
suspended on full pay while under investigation - a salary that is believed
to be more than $150,000 a year. In his opinion, the inquiry was
shambolic. "It was an investigation I
would have been ashamed to lead. It was a shambles and the police there need
to be held accountable," Rickards said. It all began in 2004 when Louise
Nicholas' claims of rape and kidnap surfaced. At the time Rickards was the
Auckland District Commander and an Assistant Police Commissioner. He stood down while the
allegations were investigated, but was soon suspended. "It is absolutely vital that
there is strong public confidence in, and respect for, the police,"
Prime Minister Helen Clark said. The investigation saw police
notepads from the 1980s seized from Shipton's garage. Among them police found
another woman's name and number and on approaching her, she too claimed she
had been sexually assaulted by the trio. Rickards has now been acquitted on
10 charges including kidnapping, rape and indecent assault over the two
trials. Now he is trying to put the
damaging allegations behind him, but the trials have taken their toll on his
career. He may have been found not guilty
of a crime, but during the Nicholas trial Rickards did admit having group sex
along with Schollum and Shipton. The question remains whether that is enough
to bring police into disrepute and whether he remains in his job as Assistant
Commissioner. Since Rickards was suspended he
has been studying a Doctorate in Business Studies but he now has other plans.
"I'm looking forward to starting back at work at the Auckland Central
Police Station where I'm the District Commander and have been for the past
three years," he said. Police National Headquarters say
his future will be dealt with through a confidential employment process. |
