Nicholas case suppression orders breached in flyers

Louise Nicholas

Information withheld from the jury considering the Louise Nicholas rape claim case and covered by court suppression orders has been handed to Wellington commuters and shoppers in a flyer distributed by a vigilante group.

Police are now investigating the flyer's distribution.

On Friday, assistant police commissioner Clint Rickards and former police officers Bob Schollum and Brad Shipton were found not guilty of a range of historical sexual charges against Mrs Nicholas, after a high-profile trial in the High Court at Auckland.

Now a Wellington group is intent on retrying the case in the court of public opinion.

The group staged a protest at the Police College open day on Saturday, and yesterday stepped up their campaign by distributing hundreds of flyers to workers passing through Wellington Railway Station, and to shoppers in the busy Cuba Mall shopping area.

Group spokeswoman Emma Wills said they were well aware they were breaching suppression orders by distributing the flyer, headed "We Believe Louise Nicholas".

"We are outraged at the way the trial went and obviously the fact that Louise Nicholas was punished for the fact that the jury didn't have access to all the information," Ms Wills said.

"Some of us had access to this information earlier and we didn't hand it out during the Louise Nicholas trial because we believed there was still a possibility of the right verdict being reached, but we have seen exactly how it has worked for Louise Nicholas and we believe the information has to be out there now."

Lawyers for Mr Shipton and Mr Schollum both reacted angrily yesterday when told about the flyers.

"I take it seriously and have referred it to the Solicitor-General and New Zealand police for further action," Schollum's lawyer Paul Mabey QC said.

Mr Shipton's lawyer, Bill Nabney said the breach of suppression orders was deliberate and serious.

"The court makes suppression orders for good and valid reasons. They're not made lightly, and obviously this is of great concern.

"The police are the people who should investigate the matter and we will await the outcome of their inquiries and what they decide to do. We'll take it from there, once the police have ... made a decision."

Wellington police district commander, Superintendent Rob Pope, confirmed police were investigating the distribution of the flyer.