The jury in the Louise Nicholas trial will probably retire tomorrow or the next day. The Crown has complete its summing up, all that is left is for the defence lawyers to spend a day or so calling Louise Nicholas a liar and a slut, and say that she didn’t behave in the way someone who has been raped should behave.
I’ve been really disturbed by the coverage. Five Crown witnesses were supressed, but most media haven’t mentioned this fact. This gives a false picture of the trial, although not as false as the one given by the descriptions of Clint Rickards, assistant police commissioner, and one of the accused rapists. The focus on his appearance, talking about how authorative he was, as if that says something about whether or not he is a rapist (well actually I think it possibly does, but not in his defence). The Dominion Post went even further:
You can’t see the weighty pounamu pendant that hangs around his neck. Just the shoulders of his crisp white shirt and the tight knot of his blue-green tie rise out of the dock. There is the occasional glimpse of a silver watch peeking out from beneath a shirt cuff and the jagged tips of the tattoos that adorn his right arm.
I’m scared about the out-come, I will be so upset, so angry, if these men are let off because of their power. But I do hold out hope. The jury convicted in another historical rape trial, where I was convinced they were going to let the off. All it takes is one person that sees that the kind of man who wears his police uniform to court, to show his power and intimidate people, is the kind of man who would use the power and intimidation that comes from being a police officer to get what he wants.
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I’m also extremely anxious for a conviction, Maia. I’ve been avoiding discussing it with people for the most part because I don’t want to hear the usual piles of victim-blaming crap that spew forth in rape cases. When my mother mentioned the case earlier she made an oh-so-necessary mention of the fact that women do lie about rape (mentioning the few recent cases of false allegations that get a million times more media coverage than the unreported rapes that happen every day). She wants them convicted so I dread to think what’s being said by people who think Nicholas is making it all up.
Much of the media coverage has been very disturbing, I agree. One of the things that has really bothered me is the fact that it is Nicholas’ name and face that has accompanied every news report. It is “her” rape trial in the media. There’s been a very real sense of the men being innocent till proven guilty, but also of Nicholas being painted as guilty (of what, I’m not sure) to prove their innocence. It’s incredibly disturbing.
I also can’t believe the lack of logic going on in the defence’s case with regards to Rickards’ clothing, as reported on the news the last couple of nights. OK, so he claims he was in a plain-clothes role at the time of the rape and so he couldn’t have gone to her place and raped her while wearing his uniform. Yet this is the same guy who, against regulations relating to his suspension from the force, showed up to court in his police uniform because he is just so proud of the uniform? Yeah. That’s a solid bit of logic there. When even the shoddy media coverage makes a mish-mash of your crummy defence, you know you have a problem.
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Police have a duty to protect and serve. Rikard and his mates only protect their backsides
while taking advantage of young people to sate their lusts. This leaves many questions concerning their suitability to be employed in the Civil Service where every man must be more prudent than Caesar’s wife.
Those couple of points will be noted by the Officers perusing your blog so they hopefully will take heed. If theu scoff at it instead, then they will pay the same price that Rikard and his gang are paying right now. For them, the fires are waiting.
I believe Loiuse Nicholas.
I believe she didnt speak out years ago because she was a fearful teenager overwhelmed by men in paid employment whose position it was to protect her and all citizens (even those requiring protection in spite of themselves).
I understand that Loiuse would remain silent then because she knew her good father would go after the men who violated his daughter.
These men took advantage of a teenager, her good parents and New Zealand society.
I hold them morally accountable for cradle snatching, they were old enough to know to “go home to their wives/partners”.
Descent respectable men of New Zealand would not be involved in scenario’s such as Louise describes.
I asked my husband at what point he would stop in a scenario.? He replied that he would not even go with the other man involved, in the first place.
My husbands friends: a mixture of hunters, accommodation hosts and police officers agreed that they would keep well away from scenarios that Louise described.
If average New Zealand men consider gang sex with a teenager under any circumstances to be inappropriate behavior and to be taking advantage of the teenager…then our Police force equally knows its not fair play.
I would love to see a memeber of our wonderful Maori race become the top police leader. But I do not endorse promotion of any man, no matter what ethnic background they have, who considers taking advantage of young New Zealanders.
Shame on the women who do not hold these “good boys” accountable.
Was it coincidence that they in an adult pack they were in the wronge place, at the wrong time, doing wronge thinks with a teenager.
Consequently, the teenager and her family and friends have been harmed.
The good name of virtuous New Zealand men has been harmed internationally. The men who blame Louise are so innocent that they themselves can not comprehend that other men actually relish power and control. They should just stop and consider how they would ract if a batton was shoved into any of their body orifices. Its a bit like death..to hard to imagine. Did Louise understand that she could have been close to dying, with such an act? Women do die from this type of violence.
Our good New Zealand Police force has been harmed..by adverse publicity. So unfair to the many wonderful officers loyaly serving the public by brave deeds and doing no harm.
New Zealand’s democratic process has been nullified because women can no longer turn to the law for justice.
The jurors have been harmed because the judicial system may have failed and its jurors appear as its scapegoats.
I have been harmed because I can no longer walk the beach alone. I do not feel safe in my own home since reading what can happen there. If the same thing happened to me I could hardly report police officers to their colleagues down at the local police station now could I?
It would seem that 5 of my witnesses could be discharged before even testifying.
I would have to stand gainst 3 lawyers whose role it seems is to discredit the victim whilst the licentous past of the men is protected. Note they only have to stand against one lawyer? Who is actually on trial here?
Enough talk…what collectively can be do to right this injustice?
A policeman friend said “Well the court has found the men to be not guily, she didn’t have enough evidence..and that’s the end of it.”
Many years ago the Chamberlain family lost baby Azaria..and Lindy went to jail…that was an injustice…but that was not the end of it.
What vcan be done to right this wronge? to regain control..and give this woman the justice she deserves.
Only Loiuse can know wether she consent or not…she says she didnt.
I and the majority of people both male and female that I have spoken to, also believe Louise.
Time for action against that baton.
“I would have to stand gainst 3 lawyers whose role it seems is to discredit the victim whilst the licentous past of the men is protected”
Really? So we didn’t hear about the sexual history of the accused? Why is it that you and many others are criticising the accused because of their sexual history?
What baton are you talking about, the one that apparently was NOT presented as evidence in court? Do we know that a baton was used? No, we do not. Was a baton used on Louise’s flatmate? She says no.
It’s ironic you talk about the Lindy Chamberlain case. If men are convicted when there is little or no evidence, we will indeed see more miscarriages of justice. Is that what you want?
Hey james you rapist supporter how is it that you dont know about the batton when just about the whole rest of the country does?.
The accused sexual history is quite relevent because i they are serial gang rapist, ie they have done it again and again and again against numerous young women.
But then again there seems to be so many details of these rapists sex lives that you wont acknowledge.
Shame on you
“Hey james you rapist supporter how is it that you dont know about the batton when just about the whole rest of the country does? ”
So was the baton presented as evidence? No, I don’t believe it was. So I am supposed to know about something that was not presented as evidence and may not even exist. You are precisely the reason why some evidence was suppressed or not allowed to be heard. You need to have an open-mind to judge cases such as this.
Oh, and by the way, I abhor rape and believe that convicted rapists should receive a longer sentence than they get.
yeah right, just not these police rapists aye james????????????
here’s a link for you but be carefull because its going to make your look like a willfully ignorant rapist supporting creep http://big-news.blogspot.com/2006/04/rotorua-police-sex-and-rape-culture.html
its has also been noted that you abhor rape victims ……. creep
Interesting link, but I found some notable omissions. Why was there no mention of Louise’s flatmate’s contention that ther sex was consensual and the atmosphere was good when those guys were present with Ms Nicholas and the flatmate? I note that the link has absolutely no comments from the 7 guys who have allegedly raped Ms Nicholas, so it’s all one-sided. As you know there’s always two sides to a story. There’s also no evidence presented to suggest the guys are actually guilty. Or does evidence not matter to you?
The reason there is no evidence to suggest the guys ( Shipton, Schollum and Rickards), were guilty, is because they were not found guilty of raping Louise Nicholas. The reason that there is no coment from the flatmate is because the flatmate did not give evidence during the trial.
The reason that there is no comment from the policeman regarding the rape allegations should be pretty obvious to anyone who has followed these cases.
This link is the first of three posts ( so far) the other two are:
http://big-news.blogspot.com/2006/04/rotorua-sex-rape-culture-part-2.html
http://big-news.blogspot.com/2006/04/rotorua-police-rape-culture-part-three.html