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The Press
July 27 1996
Trust backs bid to reopen Ellis case
by Martin Van Beynen
A Christchurch trust has been formed to collect funds to fight for the
reopening of the case of convicted childcare worker Peter Ellis.
The trust is backed by seven trustees, including Christchurch solicitor Ben
Frampton and University of Canterbury academics Denis Dutton, David Novitz,
Chris Connolly, and Barry Kirkwood.
In the last few weeks new life has been injected into efforts to have the
case reviewed.
Dunedin Queen's Counsel Judith Ablett-Kerr yesterday confirmed her involvement,
and an article on the case was published in ``North and South'' magazine.
Ellis, a former creche worker at the Christchurch Civic Childcare Centre, is
three years into a 10-year jail sentence imposed for sexually abusing
children in his care. Controversy has dogged the case, with critics saying
Ellis's convictions on 13 charges involving six children at the creche were
based on unreliable evidence.
Mrs Ablett-Kerr, who is reviewing the case with a possible appeal to the
Privy Council in mind, said that child abuse on the scale that was alleged in
the Ellis case was an international issue.
``I think that those issues are quite properly issues that can be put before
the Privy Council.''
Winstone Wealleans, a campaigner raising funds for Ellis, said supporters
wanted the case reviewed, and were prepared for a retrial ``if it comes to
that''.
``Ultimately, we would like a ministerial or a prime ministerial inquiry into
the whole conduct and investigation of this case,'' he said.
The possibility of an independent inquiry into the case has been considered
at Cabinet level and rejected.
Ellis has continued to plead his innocence from Rolleston Prison.
Auckland journalist David McLoughlin, who has been researching the case for
18 months, said two factors about the case convinced him that it should be
reopened.
His article in the latest ``North and South'' magazine had made it clear
``that the entire case came from one parent who actually created a wave of
hysteria throughout the creche community''.
``Neither she nor the evidence of what she did was ever put before the
jury,'' he said.
The second point was the way charges against Ellis had fallen by the wayside
as further facts about the allegations came to light, Mr McLoughlin said.
Of the original 48 charges against him only 13 remained after the appeal in
1994.
Seven of those remaining charges were thrown into question by a letter
written by the Crown's expert witness, Dr Karen Zelas.
The letter showed she was aware the children's evidence was tainted by
massive parental questioning.
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