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The
Christchurch Civic Creche Case |
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Lesley Ellis does not know
if her son, convicted child abuser Peter Ellis, will be released from jail on
bail. Neither did he, last
night. ``I have spoken to him;
he knows no more than I do,'' Mrs Ellis said last night. ``He was just doing the
laundry as usual. Getting on with it, the same as me.'' She wondered and worked
in suspense all day yesterday as her son's appeal court bail hearing went
ahead in Lawyer Judith Ablett-Kerr,
QC, will not comment -- even on whether the bail hearing had taken place. Her uncharacteristic
silence on all aspects of the hearing has raised speculation about Ellis's
prospects for freedom soon. Appeal court staff
yesterday confirmed the hearing was over and said the judges' bail decision
could be released today. The bail application was heard in chambers
yesterday, closed to the public in a rare In late March,
Governor-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys, a former High Court judge, referred
Ellis's case back to the Appeal Court -- itself a rare move. His case is likely to
go back to court at the end of September. Ellis has served six
years of a 10-year jail sentence after being convicted on 13 charges of child
abuse at the Christchurch Civic Creche. Mrs Ellis said she had
a terrible day yesterday. ``We (Peter and I) are
both completely in the dark,'' she said. She was on tenterhooks,
wondering, speculating, making plans in case he was released. She thought at first it
was unlikely Ellis would be released on bail. But now her hopes had been
raised. ``Once we realised
(Judith Ablett-Kerr) probably has something she isn't telling, it was quite
hard,'' Mrs Ellis said. ``We thought she would
have told Peter if the decision was a no, therefore we're more suspicious. ``It
might not be bail today but it might be bail closer to the next hearing.'' |
