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The
Christchurch Civic Creche Case |
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Supporters of Peter
Ellis have poured scorn on a police review clearing a former detective who
propositioned the mother of an alleged victim. The review followed
revelations in a 20/20 TV documentary last year that a detective on the The programme also
revealed he propositioned a third mother while the case was under way, and
that he felt he should have been on anti-depressants during the
investigation. The police review
conducted by Detective Superintendent Jim Millar cleared Mr Eade, saying his
judgment was not impaired in any significant way. ``I believe Eade was
not psychologically incompetent enough to consider that he should be removed
from that inquiry or would have been liable to make errors of judgment,''
Superintendent Millar wrote. Winston Wealleans, a
spokesman for a group supporting Peter Ellis, said the review was
``hilarious''. He found it ``astounding'' that a detective who got drunk and
then propositioned the distressed mother of an alleged victim could be seen
as not impaired. ``We would like to know
what psychology qualifications Detective Superintendent Millar has got to
enable to make this finding,'' he said. Supporters had wanted
an outside investigation and believed the ``cover-up'' was continuing. Ellis's mother, Lesley,
said the report was entirely predictable. ``Anybody who
investigates themselves will stick up for themselves,'' she said. ``So his (Detective
Eade's) behaviour may not have affected the investigation but you still have
to look at the whole. This is just one of the little pieces,'' she said. Ellis has started the
sixth of a 10-year jail sentence after being convicted of abusing children at
the Christchurch Civic Childcare Centre. He
has maintained his innocence and his lawyer, Judith Ablett-Kerr QC, will soon
apply to the Governor-General for a Commission of Inquiry into the case. |
