Well now, suddenly everything is out in the open and all has been made Very clear in regards to Clint Rickards. Its taken nearly a year, but we can finally talk about the information that was suppressed last year during the Louise Nicholas case. Remember those women going around handing out the fliers in the 3 main cities? Now you know what those women were screaming for all to hear.

My sentiments on this latest case are a little different from what they were last year. Because of who was being tried, this case has had a little more public attention than the Louise Nichols case did. A lot more information was broadcast by the media, and this time around the “victim” presented a far more convincing case than Louise Nicholas did. Thats just my opinion mind you. However, do I think the jury got it right this time?

The part that I’m having real problem with here is not so much the fact that they were acquitted. The jury knew far more information than I ever did about what happened. But even at the end of the Nicholas case I was of the mind that you don’t get smoke without fire. Especially 3 or more smoke stacks. I knew about the previous rape convictions during the Nicholas trial, and I knew about the then upcoming court appearances that we have now seen the conclusion to.

In the fall out from this latest case against the men, we now discover that Rickards is accused of having sex on the bonnet of a police car in the 1980s, there are more rape allegations against Shipton, the head of the CIB investigation into the Louise Nicholas case is facing charges of attempting to obstruct or defeat the course of justice, and a whole lot of other issues that are now being made public.

While the High Court may have found them innocent of the latest crimes, I think the court of public opinion is running very much against these men at the moment. Even if there is no legal way for the Police to stand Clint Rickards down and retire him, I think he would find it very difficult to retain his job. As an Auckland resident, I am now of the mind that I would not tolerate this man as the Assistant Commissioner in my city. Whether I’m being fair or not is beside the point. For someone to hold that position, they must have the respect of the people they are serving. It is my opinion, based on what I’m reading in the newspapers and on the many blogs around the country, that these men have lost all respect.

If your daughter came home one night and said policemen had raped her, and Rickards was the Assistant Commissioner, would you be confident of a fair investigation and trial?

And for me, thats what it boils down to. I do not believe there is smoke without fire. I find it strange that so many disparate women have such similar stories from so many different incidents. Coincidence? Conspiracy? Has someone coached them? Or maybe there is some truth to what is being said.

While a single jury cannot hear about other crimes the men are convicted of, and cannot regard other cases still to face the court, the general public now has access to all the information from all the cases. What do you think the reaction has been?

In early 2006, we had the Louise Nicholas case return a not guilty verdict to any of these men. The result of this was the protesters going out and handing out the fliers with the information about Shipton and Schollum’s previous conviction for rape in a case where the circumstances were very similar. At the time I refrained from passing comment on whether I thought the men were guilty or not and was pretty scathing about the women handing out the leaflets.

Its funny what a year can do though. I still don’t agree that those women should have done that, but I’m starting to wonder whether the history of these men really should have been inadmissible in the lastest trial. Problem is, its a very slippery slope I’m looking at, and I’m not entirely sure I like what I see at the bottom of it. However, while its perfectly fine for the courts to completely grill and go over every aspect of the complainants life, the histories of the defendants remains untouchable… Something is wrong there.

Having said that my personal opinion and belief is that these men, even though they may not be guilty of this latest crime, are all very dirty. Rickards included. I will not tolerate this man as the Assistant Commissioner in the city I live in. And if they are forced to reinstate him, I will join any protest that is put together against him. I’d even take the time off work… Okay, maybe not. But if I’m not working that day… ;-)

This whole thing is ugly now. I don’t know if they’re truly guilty or not of the crimes they have been acquitted of, but I am very much now of the opinion that you don’t get smoke without a fire. These men seem to be in a perpetual shroud of smoke.