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Sunday Times,
June 20, 1993
Another male creche worker earlier accused of abuse by Ellis accuser
by Alan Samson
Another male crèche worker was last
year accused of sexually abusing children at the Christchurch Civic Centre
crèche by the same woman who initiated action against civic centre crèche
worker Peter Ellis.
That accusation was made after the civic centre case had flared, but was
quickly dismissed by police.
By the time of the woman's complaint the man had moved to work in another
crèche. He has since chosen to stop working in child care.
The woman linked him with a name that recurred in some of civic centre
children's supposed disclosures, even though that was not his name.
Former civic centre workers have told the Sunday Times the woman had also
distributed photographs of the man she was accusing to crèche parents.
Detective Sergeant Bob Hardie, who was involved in the investigation, said he
would not comment about the second case except to say it had to do with
identifying a person named in the Ellis case and "ultimately it was a
negative inquiry"
The Sunday Times has since learned the complainant had a long association
with abuse and therapy organisations before she made her civic centre
allegations.
She also had strongly and genuinely held views about the extent and nature of
child abuse.
In depositions to the court she described herself as a "part-time
community consultant" who for 3
years - till recently - had been a drug and alcohol therapist at a
rehabilitation centre.
Her partner also worked at the centre.
The Sunday Times has documents showing her to be a founding member of a
private abuse therapy organisation, START - Sexual Abuse Therapy and
Rehabilitation Team Society. She also acted as an unofficial social worker
for families involved in the civic centre abuse charges till a professional
was formally appointed. She led several parents meetings after abuse was
first alleged saying she had lots of resources and information about sexual
abuse.
In her court evidence she said the inappropriate behaviour displayed by her
child related to sexual abuse, rather than any depression she, the mother, was
suffering from.
The death of her child's grandfather, who had been close to the child, was
also dismissed as a possible reason for the child's behaviour.
She said those things "marked" what had happened to her child but
had not been the cause.
Though the child's comment to his parents "I do not like Peter's black
penis" sparked the inquiry, the child subsequently refused to disclose
any form of abuse.
The mother's explanation for this was that the child had been videotaped by
crèche workers during their abuse of the child, who had since had a fear of
video cameras.
The woman, who could not be reached for comment, is believed to have left Christchurch.
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