Monday, February 19, 2007

Rapist cops

Imagine you're a sixteen year-old girl. You've grown up in a small town where jobs aren't getting any easier to find. Your boyfriend is a cop, which has its advantages. One night you're at a friend's house and have some drinks - you'd probably be able to get into bars, but alcohol is much cheaper from an off-licence. Some of your boyfriend's cop friends show up, but they don't object to underage drinking any more than he does.

Readers from New Zealand probably know where this is going.

25 years ago Bob Schollum, Brad Shipton and Clint Rickards dragged a 16 year old girl to a bedroom while she was struggling and screaming. They handcuffed her and indecently assaulted her.

What would you do? Where would you go? Who could help you?

Clint Rickards, Bob Schollum and Brad Shipton are standing trial for the crimes they committed agains this woman. They are rapists, who used the power their uniform gave them to abuse an unknown number of women.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:12 am

    Here's a question: at what point should we throw away the trial for rapists and just chuck them in Jail?

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  2. Anonymous1:49 pm

    Are we to believe that this is another lying woman?

    Surely sense will prevail at sometime and when they get found not guilty this time, how long will it be before they face their next victim in court?

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  3. Some of them may have already been found guilty in another case, but of course we can't know that...

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  4. Anonymous6:40 pm

    It's driving me nuts that the media are tagging this as a "sex case" night after night. Rape, jerks. RAPE.

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  5. This makes me sick. I believed Louise Nicholas, and I believe this young woman. I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that our police force grossly abuses its power, but it's shocking all the same.

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  6. Anonymous12:36 am

    Anyone know if this information is suppressed?

    Family ties in botched police rape inquiries
    by Rachel Grunwell

    Allegations against cop's cousin were ignored `Because the rapist enjoyed a "good relationship" with officers, police refused to believe he was capable of any wrong-doing.' Former policeman Bob Schollum, one of three men facing pack-rape allegations in the Louise Nicholas case, is the cousin of a rapist at the centre of two botched police rape investigations. Schollum worked as an officer at Murupara around the time staff ignored two rape complaints involving his cousin. One case was later investigated by different staff and the man was jailed. But Schollum said yesterday he knew "absolutely nothing" of both cases and was mystified about why a police report said he was interviewed in relation to the cases. Asked whether the fact his cousin was the accused may have led police to ignore the complaints, Schollum said he did not know if staff knew they were related.

    In both cases, it was later recommended by former detective inspector Graham Bell that police commissioner Rob Robinson apologise for police inaction. But only one victim has so far received a formal apology. Name suppression was this month lifted for one of these victims, Rhondda Herbert-Savage, to whom Robinson apologised in 2000. Herbert-Savage was twice raped as a teenager in Murupara in the 1980s. The same man who raped Herbert-Savage also sexually offended against three girls and police failed to properly act on this complaint. In a report written in 1996, Bell said policing in Murupara at the time was superficial and that because the rapist enjoyed a "good relationship" with officers, police refused to believe he was capable of any wrongdoing so did not record the complaints or investigate. Schollum said yesterday he no longer had contact with his cousin. Bell's report said the three girls' case "did not receive the police attention it deserved" and Herbert-Savage's case was "grossly inadequate". Herbert-Savage fought for her apology and wants compensation, but the mother of the three girls was unaware police had also recommended an apology for her case. Bell said in the report there was no doubt in his mind the mother reported the sexual abuse of her daughters to then-sergeant Warren Smith in Murupara immediately after she found one of her children in bed with the offender. "I have no doubt that sergeant Smith went to the house and took (the offender) away as described by (the mother) but that from there, no further action was taken. No explanation for this dereliction of duty is given by the sergeant as he claims to have no recollection of the events," said Bell. All officers at the station knew about the complaints but did nothing, he said.

    It was after the girls again complained and the man was jailed that Herbert-Savage's mishandled complaint came to light. The man was tried for her rape but was acquitted. However, Bell said he had no doubt the man was guilty but the case was hindered because of the delay to court and lost medical evidence. A government-ordered commission of inquiry into police behaviour follows Louise Nicholas' allegations Schollum, now a Napier car salesman, Tauranga city councillor Brad Shipton and police assistant commissioner Clint Rickards, pack-raped her as a teenager in Rotorua in the 1980s. All three men deny this and say the sex was consensual.

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  7. Scrubone: I don't think anyone here is advocating that. They do however have strong views on the accused's guilt. I'm just hoping that the police have done a good enough job this time to build a case strong enough to convince a jury.

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  8. Anonymous11:57 pm

    It's like a theatrical play that runs for years..not hard to work out..same scene.. same players..with only that comes out clean..hopefully not this time.

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  9. It's been pointed out elsewhere already, but it bears repeating here:
    Think about it - why is it that only Rickards is being photographed coming in and out of court?
    We know Schollum and Shipton's names now, so why suppress their pictures?
    I leave you to make your own conclusions.

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  10. Anonymous10:00 pm

    They do show their pictures occasionally.. and footage of them leaving court, obviously not recent..misleading the public.

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