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The
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Allegations
that convicted child abuser Peter Ellis has been allowed to wear dresses in
Rolleston Prison have been rubbished by his supporters. Winston
Wealleans, who maintains Ellis is innocent of the charges of child abuse at
the Christchurch Civic Childcare Centre, said the allegations made in a
weekend newspaper were malicious nonsense. "I
visit Peter every week along with many other people and none of us have ever
seen him wear a frock. It's utter rubbish," he said. Ellis
would be telling prison authorities he was prepared to waive privacy
considerations so they could confirm or deny the allegations. Prison officers
would definitely know if Ellis dressed in frocks and those he had spoken to
had said it was untrue. Ellis
made no secret he was a homosexual but did not dress in women's clothes, Mr
Wealleans said. Bryan
McMurray, assistant general manager of the Prison Service, would not comment
directly on whether inmates were allowed to wear dresses or on what Ellis
wore in prison. The
department's interest in an inmate's recreational clothing was confined to
ensuring it did not interfere with providing a safe and secure environment,
he said. There
had been no problems at the prison relating to inmates' clothing, he said. Ellis
is serving a 10-year jail term at Rolleston Prison and is due for release
early next year. Although his second appeal against his convictions was dismissed
last month he now awaits a Government decision on whether a Royal Commission
of Inquiry will be set up to investigate the case. |
