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The
Christchurch Civic Creche Case |
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A key police officer involved
in the Peter Ellis case says the stress of the case made him leave the force. Ellis, who continues to
declare his innocence, has been in jail for nearly five years after he was
found guilty of sexually abusing children at the The former officer in
charge of the Ellis file, Colin Eade, yesterday had a written reply to Labour
justice spokesman Phil Goff's questions to Parliament last November written
into the parliamentary record. In November, Mr Goff
asked if it was considered that the police inquiry into the civic creche
sex-abuse allegations was objective and reliable, given the revelation that
the detective in charge had intimate relationships with two of the children's
mothers and had a history of psychiatric problems. Mr Eade said in his
written reply he left the police force because of the stress involved in the
inquiry. During the four years
that followed his resignation he had relationships with two of the single
mothers who had children at the civic creche. One parent had been
part of the prosecution case but did not live in ``At no time during the
inquiry was I involved with anybody associated with the case.'' Mr Eade said he was the
officer in charge of the case until Ellis was arrested in March 1992. His job was to work
with the creche parents, the children, social workers, interviewers, and
doctors between November 1991 to 1993. Mr Eade said he was
always supervised. ``At the height of the inquiry there were eight senior
detectives assigned. We were overseen by a detective sergeant, detective
senior sergeant, and a detective inspector.'' In addition, two social
workers, three specialist interviewers, and civilian police staff were
assigned, Mr Eade said. Police presented to the
depositions hearing all admissible evidence collected during the inquiry. He
left after 19 years in the force because of a condition arising from the
stress. ``I never wanted to leave but I had no choice.'' |
