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The
Christchurch Civic Creche Case |
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The Court of Appeal has
rejected a bid by convicted child abuser Peter Ellis for bail. Ellis, 40, who 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, has maintained his innocence
throughout. In March,
Governor-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys, a former Court of Appeal judge,
refused to free Ellis on a "free pardon" but referred his case back
to the Court of Appeal later this year. Ellis then applied to
the court to be freed on bail pending the hearing, expected to be held in
late September. The Court of Appeal
announced in a judgment today that the application for bail had been
dismissed for a number of reasons. The judgment said such
applications were granted only in unusual circumstances. "The concern is
for the overall interests of justice." Ellis' counsel, Judith
Ablett-Kerr, told the court last week that it was on notice that a
miscarriage of justice might have occurred and accordingly the court should be
more ready to grant bail than it would otherwise. The judgment, by Justices
Richardson, Gault and Henry, said it was not obvious that the grounds of the
rehearing would necessarily lead to the quashing of the convictions. Also,
there was much uncertainty about when the case would be reheard. Mrs
Ablett-Kerr had suggested a November fixture date. A further application had
been made to the governor-general about widening the grounds for the
rehearing. -------------------- CAPTION:
PETER ELLIS: bail denied. |
