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Shipton, Schollum vs Jane Doe Page 5 - Further Reaction to
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Clint Rickards Suspended police Assistant
Commissioner Clint Rickards could be forced out of the police force by a new
sex claim - that he had intercourse with a woman on the bonnet of a police
car in 1983. The Weekend Herald can reveal this
is one of the "employment issues" top officers at police national
headquarters were referring to when they refused to reinstate Mr Rickards
after his acquittal this week. It is also understood the
Operation Austin investigation into police sex offending - which Mr Rickards
called a "shambles" - has uncovered damaging allegations against
him. The Weekend Herald has been told
the allegations do not have a criminal element, "but certainly from a moral
perspective [Mr Rickards] is not going to want it getting out". Mr Rickards had said he wanted to
resume work at the Auckland Central police station on Monday. He was the
district commander for His lawyer, John Haigh, QC,
refused to comment about the sex-on-a-bonnet allegation yesterday. "I don't think you can assume
that everything coming out of Operation Austin is reliable," he said. The new allegation could be used
as a way of forcing Mr Rickards from his job. Police chiefs knew of the Louise
Nicholas allegations and his defence that it was consensual group sex since
1994, but promoted him four times. Police regulations prohibit disgraceful
conduct tending to bring discredit to the police. Employment lawyers spoken to by
the Weekend Herald believe police would face an uphill battle in trying to
dismiss Mr Rickards for his admitted sexual behaviour with Louise Nicholas,
as he was not disciplined when the matters came to light. Mr Rickards admitted during the
trial of a fellow police officer in 1994 that he had had consensual sex with
Louise Nicholas in 1986. On one of those occasions another person was
present, the court was told. Prime Minister Helen Clark has
also known of allegations of sexual offending relating to Mr Rickards since
2000, when he applied for the job of deputy commissioner. She has to approve appointments to
deputy commissioner, and Mr Rickards' application did not succeed. Confidential papers obtained by
the Weekend Herald under the Official Information Act show Helen Clark was
made aware by the commissioner of the day, Rob Robinson, of "an
allegation of historical sexual offending" against Mr Rickards. Mr Robinson told her that
"matters" involving sex offences could be "problematic in the
event of his appointment as deputy commissioner". The Prime Minister would not
comment yesterday, saying the matter was an employment issue. Such an arrangement would be
disclosable under the Official Information Act, and would not be popular with
the public. "If they are going to do that,
we all get to know," Ms Wilson said. "That's going to be a real
pressure." |