KEY POINTS:
Former police chief John Dewar once acted as a sex "gift" and was delivered to a Rotorua address in that role by either Brad Shipton or Clint Rickards, the High Court at Hamilton heard yesterday.
Dewar is accused of deliberately covering up, or failing to act, on rape
allegations made by Louise Nicholas between January 1993 and 1995.
The former Rotorua CIB head also faces charges of twice giving inadmissible, hearsay evidence at two sexual abuse trials of an unnamed Murupara policeman, conducted in 1993 and 1994.
The "Murupara trials" related to an offence against Mrs Nicholas in the early 1980s when she was a 13-year-old girl.
It was during those trials that allegations against Shipton, Schollum and Rickards first came to light.
Dewar also faces charges of manipulating Mrs Nicholas during an inquiry into his conduct and evidence given during the Murupara trials.
The court yesterday heard evidence from a former colleague of Dewar's, Inspector Alastair Williams.
Mr Williams relayed a conversation he had with Dewar, about one of the "strangest" things the former Rotorua CIB head had said he had done.
Mr Williams said Dewar had discussed the historical event while they were stationed at the Police Northern Communications Centre in Auckland.
He said Dewar had given an account of how he went to an address with another officer. Asked yesterday if he could remember Dewar saying who that officer was, Mr Williams said he was unsure whether it was Brad Shipton or Clint Rickards, but it was definitely one of the two men.
Dewar had said he was told by the other man to "stand in the shadows" while a knock at the door was made and a short conversation with the home's occupant took place.
"Mr Dewar told me that sex [between Dewar and the occupant] took place," Mr Williams said.
Under cross examination Mr Williams admitted he would have remembered if he was told that group sex had occurred. However, there had been no mention of that.
On Thursday a Rotorua woman, who has name suppression, told the court she had group sex with Dewar and Brad Shipton.
Earlier yesterday the court heard that Dewar had smiled and given Brad Shipton the "thumbs up" from the public gallery during the 2006 Louise Nicholas rape trial of Shipton, Schollum and Rickards.
This came despite previous evidence of Dewar saying he believed Louise Nicholas' version of events. He has further publicly claimed he has not had a friendship with the policemen accused of rape.
The head of the operation that has pressed charges against Dewar, Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen McGregor, told the jury yesterday of observations he had made of Dewar during two rape trials brought against Shipton, Rickards and Schollum.
At the Louise Nicholas trial in March 2006 Dewar was regularly seen sitting with friends and associates of the accused men. "Standing with, talking, laughing, all sorts of things," Mr McGregor said.
The three men were acquitted of the charges in the Nicholas case.
About a year later, at a rape and kidnap trial of the same three policemen, Dewar was again seen among the accused's support group.
During that trial, which centred on claims of a 16-year-old girl, Mr McGregor said he watched Dewar shake hands with and greet Rickards.
The prosecution's case ended yesterday and the defence case will begin on Monday.