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NZ Herald
Clint Rickards Suspended Assistant Commissioner
Clint Rickards has called on his fellow police chiefs to chip in for his
legal fight to stay in the force. Mr Rickards has asked the Police
Managers Guild, the union that represents senior officers, for financial
assistance as he tries to resolve the outstanding "employment
issues" Police National Headquarters referred to when it kept him
suspended after he was acquitted of his final sex charges last week. Mr Rickards, who wants to return
as The guild - which did not pay
anything towards Mr Rickards' $500,000 plus legal fees for defending his two
criminal trials - said it had asked him for more information about what
disciplinary action he was facing before making a decision. The Herald understands one of the
issues is a new claim that Mr Rickards had sex with a woman on the bonnet of
a police car in 1983. Guild president Rob Abbott said Mr
Rickards' request had come this week and "we've got no idea officially
what he's facing in these employment issues and our rules have certain
criteria. Obviously, he's getting that together and we will consider the
matter." Mr Abbott said the guild gave Mr
Rickards some "limited assistance" to deal with employment matters when
the Louise Nicholas allegations first surfaced publicly in 2004. He confirmed Mr Rickards asked for
further assistance once the allegations became a criminal matter - and
although he would not comment further it is understood Mr Rickards was turned
down. Mr Rickards was acquitted of the
rape of Louise Nicholas in March last year and of the kidnapping and sexual
violation of a second Rotorua woman after a trial last week. He has said he paid virtually all
of his legal fees himself but would not comment when asked if the guild had
deserted him. His lawyer, John Haigh, QC, said: "You will have to ask
them [the guild] that." Mr Abbott said the guild had not
taken "a political stance" in declining to assist Mr Rickards'
criminal defence. "I guess that would be the
easy way to look at it. But we had to go straight down the middle on the
criteria and the decisions we made in committee were based simply on whether
or not his particular situation fitted in the criteria." Mr Abbott said the guild's rules
meant it would assist a member where the matter "arises directly from
their employment rather than if it happens off-duty or in their personal
life". An officer accused of using
excessive force during an arrest or of the dishonest use of funds were
examples of causes it would support.
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