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Sunday Star Times
June 29 1997
Ellis Case, Part II
Letter to the Editor
by N Foote, Christchurch
From September to
December 1992, while Peter Ellis and his co-workers from the Christchurch
Civic Creche were standing trial on charges of sex abuse in one High Court
courtroom, my son stood similarly accused in the courtroom next door.
He was a Social Welfare-registered foster parent caring for disruptive, drug
and alcohol addictive and violent teenage boys. Because of the constant law
breaking of his charges and the regular need for police and Social Welfare
intervention, my son was well aware of the gross failure of both the Social
Welfare (now CYPs) and police systems.
He had two choices -- plead not guilty and, like Peter Ellis, languish in
prison for 10 years, or plead guilty, get four years and be freed after two
years 10 months.
He pleaded guilty.
Another of my son's accusers visited him in jail and, in front of several
witnesses, apologised for lying and stated they, the parents of my son's
accusers, all needed the money.
Wasn't that really what the sex abuse industry was all about? Money . . .
money . . . money . . .
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