Shipton revealed as rapist

By Staff Reporters
Former policeman and Tauranga councillor Brad Shipton has been unmasked as one of a group of men who raped a woman inside a Mount Maunganui lifeguard tower in 1989.
His identity, and the involvement of fellow police officer Bob Schollum, can be revealed after suppression orders were lifted following their acquittal on similar historic rape charges yesterday.
Suspended Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards was also acquitted following a High Court trial.
In the Mount Maunganui case heard in 2005, Shipton and Schollum were described by a judge as "corrupt police officers" when they were sentenced to 8 1/2 and 8 years in prison respectively.
They, along with Tauranga businessman Peter McNamara and former Tauranga firefighter Warren Hales, treated the 20-year-old victim "like a piece of meat". McNamara and Hales were named at the time.
Justice Ronald Young told Shipton and Schollum: "Your arrogance, in my view, knew no bounds".
"You were confident you could commit a serious crime and get away with it because you were policemen - and you almost did."
The "deeply disgraceful acts" was a gang rape in the worst sense.
The woman testified she was lured to a lifeguard tower on the pretext of a lunch date with Shipton. Instead, she was handcuffed, raped, forced to perform oral sex and violated with a police baton.
The four appealed their convictions but only Hales was successful. He was to have stood trial again but instead changed his plea to guilty of abduction and police dropped the rape charge.
The victim, now aged 38 and living overseas, came forward after becoming aware of publicity about historic rape allegations made by Louise Nicholas in early 2004. The woman told a High Court jury in Wellington that she had been interested in a date with Shipton and that McNamara had agreed to take her to meet him.
McNamara had instead taken her to the lifeguard tower in the sand dunes where the other men were waiting.
The men maintained that the complainant had been a willing participant in group sex. They denied handcuffing her or violating her with a baton.
In her evidence, the woman described the men as "like dogs looking at raw meat".
Shipton was dominant in the group, ordering her to lie down, restraining her, raping her twice, forcing her to perform oral sex and repeatedly violating her with a police baton.
She said she had not made a complaint or sought medical treatment at the time because she feared circumstances such as her pursuing the date with Shipton and going voluntarily to the tower might be misconstrued.
The woman's case was investigated by the same Operation Austin team that took Mrs Nicholas' case to court and which discovered the second Rotorua woman at the centre of the latest trial.
Outside the High Court at Auckland yesterday, Mr Rickards proclaimed the innocence of Shipton and Schollum in the Mount Maunganui case, saying Operation Austin was a "shambles" and "they shouldn't be where they are".
"Brad Shipton is a good friend. Bob Schollum is a good friend. They are still good friends of mine and always will be," Mr Rickards said.
Yesterday Shipton's family also continued to stand by him.
His brother, Greg Shipton, said the family did not believe any of the allegations and, when questioned on the previous convictions, replied: "We certainly don't believe that."
"We want to move on with our lives. The stress that's chucked on our families is bordering on criminal itself."
He said he felt pity towards the women involved.
Mr Shipton said he believed the prosecution of Mr Rickards was politically motivated to prevent him from becoming the first Maori commissioner of police.
Mr Shipton said he didn't think the men had received fair trials and criticised the way the media covered the cases.
"I don't believe there was enough evidence to bring any of the cases to court but because the media have been one way, that's why he's [Shipton] sitting where he is."
Sharon Shipton said she would continue to stand by her husband, despite him admitting to having slept with two other women during his court trials.
Mrs Shipton, who was accused of lying on the stand, appeared to be in shock yesterday as her husband was acquitted of the latest kidnapping and rape charges.
She gasped and sobbed and took time with her family before speaking to the media outside the courtroom.
"I'm happy with the outcome, it's the right outcome and Brad's family and myself are just thrilled. It was always the outcome I anticipated," she said.
Yesterday, when asked if she was pleased she had stood by her husband in the witness stand, Mrs Shipton replied: "Absolutely, absolutely. I have stood by my husband every step of the way and that will continue.
"What I can say is that the verdicts speak for themselves - I told the truth."
When pushed further and asked, "Do the verdicts from Mount Maunganui speak for themselves?" Mrs Shipton refused to answer and walked off.
Meanwhile, Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby dismissed any suggestion the cases reflected badly on police.
He had enormous faith in Tauranga police and hoped that the public felt the same.
"There was definitely a macho culture in the 70s and probably the 80s in the police force in certain areas, I think that's been evident. And I know the hierarchy of the police have worked very hard to extinguish that culture.
"It's critical that the police have the respect of the community in exercising their duty.
"That's absolutely critical and maybe these allegations had the potential to impact on the community's respect - I hope not, because these are very much isolated incidents and as far as I'm concerned, the police do a brilliant job under very, very difficult circumstances."
Mr Crosby said he felt sympathetic towards the families and extended families of both the accused and the alleged victims who must have had "a hell of a time over these past few years".
"There are lots of innocent people caught up in these circumstances and they go through an enormous amount of stress and it will be ongoing as well, I'm sure, irrespective of the outcome."
Acting Western Bay police area commander Inspector Bob Burns said it would be "inappropriate" for him to comment on the outcome of the trial.
Shipton's defence lawyer, Bill Nabney, and Schollum's defence lawyer, Paul Mabey QC, both from Tauranga, refused to comment on the acquittal.
with NZPA/NZ Herald