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Allegations of abuse
by NZ Police |
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peterellis
Home / police allegations / Rickards,
Shipton, Schollum vs Jane Doe Page 5 - Further Reaction to
Not Guilty Verdict |
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Prime Minister Helen Clark has
confirmed she knew about the allegations against Clint Rickards, before he
became assistant police commissioner. On Thursday, Mr Rickards and
former police colleagues Bob Schollum and Brad Shipton were acquitted of
kidnapping and committing indecent assault on a 16-year-old girl in Rotorua
in the 1980s. After the verdict was delivered suppression orders were lifted
in the case and it was revealed Schollum and Shipton were serving jail
sentences for the rape of a woman in Mt Maunganui in the late 1980s. Police National Headquarters says
Mr Rickards will not be fully reinstated until employment issues are dealt
with but Mr Rickards says will fight to get his job back, through the courts
if necessary. Miss Clark has told reporters in Meanwhile, police are being warned
that their private lives are up for public scrutiny, in light of the high
profile case. Police Association president Greg
O'Connor says the trial has reinforced how officers are perceived in the
public eye. "The public has a very high
expectation of their police officers both on duty and off duty. We also learn
that where accusations are made against police officers they must be
investigated fully." |
