Louise Nicholas' daughter reveals rehabilitation for drug addiction amid court case

Saturday, 25 January 2020

Louise Nicholas describes the moment she received a phone call from police saying her daughter had been arrested for drug related charges as a 'parent's worst nightmare'.

The victim rights campaigner has spoken about her daughter Jessica Nicholas' meth addiction in a video posted to Facebook.

In it the pair discuss Jessica's drug addiction, arrest for supplying methamphetamine, and rehabilitation, with the aim to positively encourage others who are going through a similar thing.

Louise Nicholas gave Stuff permission to report the video.

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In it, Nicholas describes the moment she found out her daughter had been arrested.

'Getting that phone call is a parent's worst nightmare,' she says.

'I've never had the phone call to say, you know, one of my family members has been in an accident or anything like that but I can imagine that heart-stopping moment for something like that, and that was the same.'

There was a lot that went through her head in those first five minutes; the thought that her daughter could go to jail, and that her granddaughter would have to come live with her.

In the 30-minute clip, Nicholas talks about the tough journey her daughter has been on, and how it affected their family. She says as Jessica's physical stature changed, she realised her daughter was using meth.

There were lies, and Jessica was argumentative. Nicholas felt like she was walking on eggshells around her, and that there was little she could do to help.

When Jessica was arrested, it was her charges that came as 'a kick', Nicholas says.

'It's just the fact that it was methamphetamine, it's just the fact that it was supply - it was all that bad shit that you hear on the news.'

Louise Nicholas is a prominent victim rights advocate. She publicly accused high-ranking policemen of pack raping her as a teenager in Rotorua during the 80s. While the men were acquitted at a 2006 trial it was later revealed two of the accused officers were already in prison for raping another woman. 

A Commission of Inquiry later identified major failings in the way police handled sexual assault cases.

Jessica Nicholas explains in the video that she'll appear in court for sentencing on the methamphetamine supply charges next month, while mum Louise Nicholas said she would be there supporting her daughter.

'We'll be there and whatever the consequences of that are, that's it. We accept those and we make adjustments.' 

Nicholas didn't want to comment on her daughter's sentencing when contacted but said she had received positive comments after posting the video.

She said Jessica's goal was to reach out to others and show them that you can get help, and that she was 'so proud of her for owning it'.

In the video, Nicholas says her daughter's journey 'has been a huge eye-opener for us all', and that she is proud of how far she has come.

'I would walk over hot coals to protect my children and do what I can for my own children.'

Jessica is undergoing rehab while Nicholas looks after her daughter.

'It's a journey, but like I say, I'm extremely proud of [Jess]. Jess has been so honest and I think that's what we love so much,' Nicholas says in the video.

'I feel that she's now safe and I feel that we can all move forward and support her and [my granddaughter] getting to where they need to be, and that's [being a] family again.'

The mother-daughter duo shared the video online in an attempt to raise awareness and encourage others.

'I know that Jess is here to help anybody who's going through this themselves. We're here to help anybody whose family member's going through this. We're not the experts, but we're living it,' Nicholas says.

FOR ADDICTION:

Alcohol & Drug Helpline: alcoholdrughelp.org.nz / 0800 787 797

Alcoholics Anonymous: aa.org.nz

Narcotics Anonymous: nzna.org

The Salvation Army Bridge Programme: salvationarmy.org.nz/get-help/alcohol-and-drug-support

Higher Ground: higherground.org.nz

Odyssey Trust: odyssey.org.nz

Sivana Bail: sivanabali.com