|
|
The |
|
Convicted paedophile
Peter Ellis has had his plea for a free pardon turned down by
Governor-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys. But Ellis supporters are
celebrating news that Sir Michael had agreed to a second request, to widen
the terms under which his case to the Court of Appeal can be heard. "This is the best we could
have hoped for," Ellis' mother Lesley said. Ellis had been aware of the
decisions when she visited him late on Sunday. Ellis petitioned the
governor-general for the exercise of the royal prerogative of mercy for a
second time in November last year. His first petition, in December 1997,
resulted in the case being referred back to the Court of Appeal. The appeal is due to be heard in The second petition sought a free
pardon for Ellis, or alternatively for his case to be considered by the Court
of Appeal on broader grounds than previously referred. Justice Minister Tony Ryall said today he had advised the governor-general that
the terms of reference of the case to the Court of Appeal should be broadened
after receiving advice from retired High Court judge Sir Thomas Thorp. He had
also advised it was inappropriate to consider the pardon application "at
this stage". Ellis was convicted in 1993 on 16
charges of molesting children at the Christchurch Civic Creche.
His case has attracted widespread sympathy from supporters, including
politicians, who believe he is innocent. There have been a series of
disclosures about the case, including claims some of the children Ellis was
said to have abused had since retracted their stories. Jurors' credibility had been
brought into question after allegations in a television documentary that the
jury foreman had been marriage celebrant at the wedding of crown prosecutor
Brent Stanaway, and a woman jury member failed to
declare a lesbian relationship with a woman who worked with the mother of one
of the accusers. |
