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Allegations of abuse
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Home / police allegations / Rickards,
Shipton, Schollum vs Jane Doe Page 5 - Further Reaction to Not
Guilty Verdict |
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Rape Crisis is calling for juries
to be informed about any previous convictions of defendants. Suspended Assistant Police
Commissioner Clint Rickards and two former officers were found not guilty on
Thursday of kidnapping and indecently assaulting a woman in Rotorua between
November 1983 - August 1984. The complainant was aged 16 at the time. Following the acquittals by a jury
of eight men and four women in the High Court at Suppression orders were lifted,
revealing Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum were two of four men sent to prison
for eight years in 2005 for the abduction and rape of a woman in Mt Maunganui
in 1989.
Andrea Black, from Rape Crisis,
has no doubt the trial, or an earlier one involving Louise Nicholas, would
have turned out differently if the jury knew about the convictions. She says while everybody has the
right to a fair trial, juries also need to be aware of the bigger picture
when considering verdicts. But the Criminal Bar Association
says that could too easily lead to miscarriages of justice. Mr Rickards on Thursday voiced his
belief that Shipton and Schollum should not be in prison. He is standing by
them as his friends and has criticised the police for their handling of his
case.
Last year, a jury cleared the three
of 20 charges of sexual violation and indecent assault against Rotorua woman
Louise Nicholas in 1986. The jury of seven women and five
men delivered its verdict on 31 March 2006 after three days of deliberations
following a 2½-week trial at the High Court in Leaflets relating to the Mt
Maunganui case were distributed publicly in One of those involved says there
is a double standard operating in the courts when it comes to suppression. Ms Nicholas, who accused the men
of raping her in 1986, says she doesn't regret going through the legal
process. She told Morning Report the
justice system has let women down, but she would still encourage others to
come forward with any complaints of sexual assault.
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