Incriminating No-one

I’ll quote this article in its entirety:

Dunedin police are investigating the sexual assault of a young woman in the centre of the city last night.

Police communications inspector Alan Weston said the woman was attacked about 2.50am.

See? It’s not that hard to report that it actually happened.

And it doesn’t incriminate anyone, neither the accused nor the woman who was raped.

Men? Responsible for their own actions?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4284751a10.html

The woman, who has name suppression and who made a liar of Mr Rickards’ former Rotorua CIB boss, John Dewar, was going to tell the disciplinary tribunal that Mr Rickards and Shipton had sex with her in and on police cars in Rotorua in the 1980s.

John Dewar is an adult in full possession of  his mental faculties (although his ethical ones are obviously another matter). He made the decision to lie, no-one else.

This is the same sort of mentality that says that if a woman wears skimpy clothing and flirts then she’s clearly irresistable, and of course a man has simply no choice but to rape her.

Not her fault

Teen forced into car, pack-raped by trio

Stuff.co.nz and Waikato Times | Monday, 6 August 2007

Police in Morrinsville are investigating the pack rape of a teenager at the weekend. The 16-year-old girl was walking home alone along Page Street in the early hours of Saturday morning when she was approached by three men in a dark coloured station wagon.

The teenager, who had been reportedly out drinking with friends, was forced into the vehicle and raped by all three men.

Now I might be able to forgive the “early hours of Saturday morning” comment as a non-judgemental statement. But there is absolutely no excuse for saying she was out drinking with friends, particularly when the writer doesn’t appear to know whether this is true or not.

But this article in theHerald is even worse:

Teen pack-raped near home

Police say the pack rape of a teenage girl in Morrinsville should serve as a warning that women should never walk home alone in the early hours.

The 16-year-old was raped by three men early on Saturday, only 300m from her home.

…

He warned that women should not walk alone late at night or early in the morning, to keep safe.

“Always have somebody with you when you’re walking. Otherwise get somebody to pick you up and take you where you need to go. But we don’t want to be seen to be criticising [the victim's] actions, that’s not what she needs from us.”

Well guess what? By saying this you are criticising her actions, and you are implying she was at fault.

How about you follow your own advice. Never go anywhere alone at night. Never go anywhere not adequately lit. Don’t walk at night (and you can’t take taxis because many women can’t afford to do that). Don’t drink. Don’t have sex. Don’t speak to strangers. Live in constant fear. See what your quality of life is like.

%^#@%&^*$^#

SHE’S NOT AN ALLEGED VICTIM, OK?

Action in Christchurch

Jo reports on the Christchurch demo at the start of the John Dewar trial.

We believe Louise Nicholas!

Protests at the start of John Dewar’s trial – be there!

(Please forward to your networks. Apologies for cross posting.)

In the early 1990s John Dewar persuaded Louise Nicholas not to make a formal complaint against Bob Schollum, Brad Shipton and Clint Rickards.

He has now been charged with attempting to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice. His trial will begin on Tuesday 24th June.

Come along and protest this cover-up and show your support for Louise Nicholas and other survivors of police rape.

Wellington
Rally 12pm, Tuesday 24th July outside the High Court, Molesworth Street (opposite parliament)

Organised by Wellington Action Against Rape. For more information contact gracemaiamillar@gmail.com

Auckland
Picket 5pm, Tuesday 24th July outside Britomart

Contact Ruth Amato on 021 253 0118

Christchurch

Information and interactive street theatre 12pm, Tuesday 24th July outside Police Centre, Cathedral Square.

____________________________________

Who is John Dewar?
John Dewar was the head of the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) of Rotorua police in the early 1990s.

What is he being charged with?
John Dewar is being charged with four charges of attempting to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice between 1993 and 1994.

When is his trial?
His trial will begin on Tuesday July 24th.  He has pleaded ‘not guilty’.

What are the charges about?
In the early 1990s John Dewar persuaded Louise Nicholas not to make a formal complaint against Bob Schollum, Brad Shipton and Clint Rickards.  He did not investigate the complaint properly.  Judge Lance criticised his conduct: “I am of the view [John Dewar's] failure to record and detail these allegations was not only remarkable, it was utterly incredible. [...] After all, here was an experienced detective inspector investigating allegations of serious sexual offending. During his interview with the complainant, he is told of allegations of potentially serious sexual offending by three other named and currently serving police officers.”

Weren’t Clint Rickards, Bob Schollum and Brad Shipton found innocent?
They were found not guilty – there wasn’t enough evidence 20 years later.  If John Dewar hadn’t tried to protect his mates, and investigated the complaints properly the trials might have gone very differently.

Why does this matter?
Women who were raped by police in Rotorua in the 1980s didn’t make complaints, because they thought no-one would believe them.  What happened when Louise Nicholas tried to make a complaint showed that they were right.  When the police protect their own from accusations of rape, as John Dewar did in this case, then you are giving police a license to act with impunity.

What can people who believe Louise Nicholas do?
There will be pickets outside the High Court in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch on the first day of the trial, Tuesday 24. The details are:

Wellington
Rally 12pm, Tuesday 24th July outside the High Court, Molesworth Street (opposite parliament)

Organised by Wellington Action Against Rape. For more information contact gracemaiamillar@gmail.com

Auckland
Picket 5pm, Tuesday 24th July outside Britomart

Contact Ruth Amato on 021 253 0118

Christchurch

Information and interactive street theatre 12pm, Tuesday 24th July outside Police Centre, Cathedral Square.

Gay sex offender may be on prowl – police

Gay sex offender may be on prowl – police

Perpetrators do not necessarily rape or sexually assault the same gender they are attracted to.

Not only is this headline homophobic, it is also inaccurate (at least, the offender may be gay, but there is absolutely no evidence for that) and reinforces the myth that rape is about sex.

Also: I’m really bad at thinking up titles.

Telling her story

I’ve got some mixed feelings about this story in The New Zealand Herald.

On the one hand, I think it’s great that they are giving a rape survivor the opportunity to tell her story (and I admire her for doing so).

On the other hand, this story does fit all the criteria a lot of society – and the media -  view as important for being sympathetic to a rape survivor:

• She did not know her attacker
• She was at home
• She did not let him into her house
• She told the police
• She has positive things to say about the police
• She left evidence for the police
• The rapist was convicted

Her story is no less important for all that, and I’m glad it was published. But I would like to see the stories of other rape survivors who don’t fit as many – or any – of those expectations of what happened to them and how they reacted printed more often (without the implication that they may be lying or at fault).