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The
Christchurch Civic Creche Case |
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Convicted child abuser
Peter Ellis has won his petition to go to the Court of Appeal. Ellis has made legal history,
lawyer Judith Ablett-Kerr said yesterday. Justice Minister Doug
Graham last night announced that Governor-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys had
referred Ellis's convictions for sexually abusing children to the Ellis will turn 40 on
Monday. He has been in
Rolleston Prison for four years and nine months since being jailed for 10
years when he was found guilty of abusing children at the Yesterday Mrs
Ablett-Kerr said allowing someone in circumstances similar to Ellis to appeal
had happened less than 10 times in ``This is huge,'' she
said. The petition to Sir
Michael asked for Ellis to be pardoned or for the case to be referred back to
court. ``He's delighted. He's
over the moon,'' she said of Ellis. Mrs Ablett-Kerr, who
has worked on Ellis's case since late 1996, said she was in a similar state. ``I was particularly
pleased for Peter that he would now have the opportunity to clear his name in
open court.'' It was hoped that
Ellis's appeal would be heard about June, maybe in She would discuss the
possibility of bail with Ellis today, when she came to Events like this happened
so seldom it was hard to tell if he would be allowed bail, Mrs Ablett-Kerr
said. It was important people
understood the criminal justice system had to be transparent. ``People have
to be able to see what's happening. ``Constitutionally the
referral back to the Court of Appeal is something that's desirable from the
point of view of letting everyone know what's happening,'' Mrs Ablett-Kerr
said. She said if Ellis had
obtained a pardon no-one would have known why. ``That's the attraction
of going back to the Court of Appeal.'' Ellis's mother, Lesley,
said she had been smiling all day. She and her daughter were together last
night after hearing the ``fantastic'' news. ``We had to wait until
it became official. My workmates knew something good had happened because
they saw my big smile.'' She preferred the
option of going back to court to prove her son's innocence rather than being
pardoned. ``A pardon implies
guilt. You don't get pardoned for doing nothing.'' Mrs Ellis said she
wanted it acknowledged that what her son was found guilty of had never
happened. She said people would
be surprised when they saw Ellis again. He was thinner and had
long hair he wore tied back over his shoulders. She
would visit him today. |
