Allegations of Abuse by NZ Police
	peterellis Home / police allegations / Rickards, Shipton, Schollum vs Jane Doe Page 7 - Further Reaction to Not Guilty Verdict
	The Dominion Post March 7 2007 To the Point Letters to the Editor by Dorothy McLean, Tauranga So Green list MP Sue Bradford's bill will make parents who give their errant children a smack guilty in the eyes of the law. Maybe the Assistant Police Commissioner, Clint Rickards, and his two "friends" -- recently before the courts -- might have learned the meaning of right from wrong if they had received just that. by Geoff Digby, Khandallah Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards should definitely be given his job back. For three years he has been put through intense scrutiny and has emerged untainted. What possible reason is there now on earth that this man should be denied his reinstatement? by Brenda Dixon, Carterton I'd say that Sharon Shipton should take off her rose-coloured glasses. Or are they blinkers? by Rod Shaw, Te Horo I've worked for both private industry and the public service. Had I publicly slagged-off my colleagues or the organisation, regardless of the perceived justification, I'd have been smartly and rightly severely disciplined and almost certainly sent down the road. After Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards' unseemly outburst outside the High Court last week, I trust he'll be forthwith subjected to the same treatment. Juries can be trusted by Jennifer Lawless, Kelburn Far too many people are interpreting the Rickards-Shipton-Schollum verdict as simply an issue of did they/ didn't they do it or as a purely feminist issue. Though our hearts go out to the women, a larger issue of victims' rights is involved here. It's grossly unfair that the history and character of an alleged rape victim can be used by the defence legal team when a convicted rapist's history is protected from use against him/her by law. If jurors are deemed logical and responsible enough to decide the fate of defendants, then the law must trust them with all the facts pertaining to the case, including the parties' history. Until then, our justice system is an embarrassment and a contradiction in terms.