"My girls are my strength, they have taken everything that has happened in the last 10 years and turned it into something positive. They have really amazed me and they are mini-ambassadors.
"They were there when everything was unfolding and how it affected them was the hardest part. Reliving it was harder again."
The story told in Consent, which screens on TV One on Sunday, centres on the relationship between Nicholas and Dewar, who betrayed her by covering for his colleagues while Nicholas believed he was the only one she could trust.
A launch event will be held in Wellington on Friday which Justice Minister Judith Collins, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett and Police Commissioner Mike Bush will attend.
Dr Kim McGregor, executive director of Rape Crisis, said the story was vital in continuing to expose New Zealand's rape culture.
"Because of the bravery of many survivors of sexual violence s ... the general public will no longer tolerate it when cases of sexual violence, such as the so-called Roast Busters case, come to light."
The tele-movie follows Nicholas as Dewar obstructs justice at trials, through years of failure to be heard until being helped by journalist Phil Kitchin.
Five trials and 20 years later, Nicholas' testimony led to the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct, which resulted in the damning 2007 Bazley Report. Former police officers Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum and Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards were found not guilty of Nicholas' rape, though Shipton and Schollum were already behind bars for another rape. Dewar was convicted of four charges of attempting to obstruct or defeat the course of justice and was jailed for four and a half years.
Consent also features scenes where the trio are involved in sex with her, events which all three claimed during their trials were consensual. The movie was created by the team behind Out of the Blue - the story of the Aramoana massacre.
Nicholas, who now works for Rape Prevention Education, said the movie brought her smiles and tears.*
Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story is on TV One's Sunday Theatre at 8.30pm on Sunday. Rape Crisis will run a special telephone support line immediately after the drama.
- NZ Herald
