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Allegations of abuse
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Home / police allegations / Rickards,
Shipton, Schollum vs Jane Doe Page 6 - Further Reaction to
Not Guilty Verdict |
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Prime Minister Helen Clark is
winding up the pressure on Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards by
expressing doubt that his sexual activities could have been genuinely
consensual. In a thinly veiled attack on the
suspended "What I'm telling you is
that, in my opinion, no reasonable person would think that a troubled teenage
girl engaging in group sex with police officers in a regional town would
believe that there are really issues of consent here." Mr Rickards has been acquitted of
all the charges he faced in high-profile police rape trials. He admitted to having consensual
group sex with Louise Nicholas in the 1980s, during his defence against
charges relating to her. Mr Rickards wants to return to his
police job but is being held back by "employment issues" that must
first be settled with his bosses. On TV3's 60 Minutes last night he
said: "It's a matter of pride for me. I need to walk back into the
police and say, 'Hey, this is me - I'm Clint Rickards'." He again denied forcing Mrs
Nicholas to have sex. Asked whether she ever said "no" or offered
any resistance, he replied: "Never. If she had I would have stopped
immediately. She was more than willing, she was a consensual partner." Helen Clark is steering clear of
offering an opinion on whether Mr Rickards should return to his job. She is aware that if she entered
the fray she could be accused of political interference - something Mr
Rickards could use in his favour in any employment dispute. But while she has not said he
should go, her open questioning of his consent defence - which a jury
believed - is likely to be seen as an unsubtle hint of her views. Mr Rickards' lawyer, John Haigh,
QC, said yesterday that he had "strong views" about the Prime
Minister's comments. However, he did not want to enter the fray at this point
"because the matter is in a sense sub judice between Mr Rickards'
counsel and the police". It is widely believed that Mr
Rickards did himself no favours when he last week savaged the police's
handling of investigations into him. His open support of convicted rapists
Bob Schollum and Brad Shipton also raised eyebrows. The suspended assistant
commissioner appears to be facing an uphill battle to get his job back as
high-level opposition builds. Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard
came out strongly against him on Sunday and National Party leader John Key
yesterday suggested he should "pack up his tent and move along". Looming in the background is the
imminent release of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Police
Conduct, which is likely to contain some uncomfortable findings although it will
not address the recent trials. The report by Dame Margaret Bazley will be
handed to the Governor-General by the end of the month. |
