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The
Evening Post
November 24, 1997
Group lays Ellis doco complaint
NZPA
The TV3 documentary that raised new doubts about the conviction of
Christchurch childcare worker Peter Ellis has prompted a complaint to the
Broadcasting Standards Authority.
Ellis was convicted of abusing children in his care at the Christchurch Civic
Childcare Centre in 1993 and has served more than four years of 10-year jail
sentence for the offences.
An Auckland
child advocacy group, Children's Agenda, said it was preparing a complaint to
the BSA about the programme. Chairwoman Robin Fancourt said her organisation
was concerned about hysteria caused by the programme.
The documentary alleged former detective Colin Eade, who played a lead role
in the case, propositioned a mother of a complainant and had relationships
with two other complainants' mothers.
Keith Slater, the executive producer of 20/20, said the programme had
evaluated the criminal justice system, and if it was found wanting, that was
not the fault of the programme. The programme had highlighted, in a fair way,
shortcomings in the inquiry. All allegations made had been substantiated. It
was a great shame if complainant children were badly affected by the
programme, but Ellis was also paying a huge price.
"Most of the children have recanted and you have to ask where the trauma
is coming from," Mr Slater said. A spokesman for the former creche
workers, Winston Weallans, said Children's Agenda should be taking a hard
look at the creche inquiry flaws.
Mr Eade had propositioned the mother of a child complainant who was crucial
to the case, he said. The evidence of the child, who had not attended the
creche, resulted in Ellis' arrest and the whole thing had snowballed from
there, he said.
"The worst thing is the mother's complaint to the police about Colin
Eade was never disclosed to the defence because the mother withdrew her child
from the inquiry because of Mr Eade's advance." -
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