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Otago Daily Times
June 5 1998
No comment from lawyer on Ellis case
NZPA
Wellington: A hearing was conducted behind closed doors at the Appeal Court in Wellington yesterday
for convicted child abuser Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis.
Ellis' lawyer, Dunedin Queen's Counsel Judith Ablett-Kerr, refused comment at
the conclusion of the three-hour hearing.
"What happened, happened in chambers. That's all I can say."
However, Mrs Ablett-Kerr was understood to have discussed Ellis' bail
application for a second Appeal
Court hearing.
She said afterwards she would be seeing Ellis today but repeatedly refused to
discuss details of the case.
Ellis (40) is in the sixth year of a 10-year sentence on 13 counts of
sexually abusing children under his care at the Christchurch Civic Creche. He
has maintained his innocence throughout.
In 1994, the Court of Appeal dismissed his first appeal.
In March, Governor-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys, a former Court of Appeal
judge, refused to release Ellis on a "free pardon" but referred his
case back to the Appeal Court. That hearing is expected to be held in late
September.
Ellis had petitioned Sir Michael after allegations were made about the
conduct of the police investigation into the case.
Ellis applied to be released from prison on bail pending the hearing of his
appeal and that issue was believed to have been discussed at the chambers
conference.
In March, Ellis also refused to appear at a Parole Board hearing that would
have considered his release on parole.
He reportedly said that accepting parole would have included an admission of
guilt, which he was not prepared to do.
If he remains in prison, Ellis is eligible for another parole hearing next
March.
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