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New Zealand
Herald
February 3, 2000
Ellis free: inquiry promised
by Staff Reporters
Convicted child sex abuser Peter Ellis left jail yesterday after nearly seven
years to news that the Government will hold an inquiry into his controversial
case.
In a sensational move, Justice Minister Phil Goff said an inquiry was needed
to address problems in the evidence presented by children from the
Christchurch Civic Creche.
Ellis was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in 1993 after he was convicted
on 16 charges of sexually abusing seven children in his care at the creche.
The 42-year-old slipped unnoticed out a side gate at Paparua Prison yesterday
just before 7 am, having served two-thirds of his sentence, and returned home
to his mother, 63-year-old Lesley Ellis.
Later, at a tightly controlled news conference, he struggled with his
emotions, thanking his mother and vowing to continue to fight to clear his
name.
Looking fit and tanned, Ellis sported a new shoulder-length ponytail and a
smudge of eyeliner.
His lawyer, Judith Ablett-Kerr, QC, will meet Mr Goff today to discuss an
inquiry, a move which follows two unsuccessful attempts to persuade the Court
of Appeal to overturn Ellis' conviction.
Mr Goff has asked officials for advice on what sort of inquiry should be held
and expects to make a decision in about two weeks.
"There are some clear problems," he said. "I am talking about
contamination of evidence and the way in which evidence is acquired from
child witnesses."
An inquiry had to precede any decision relating to a pardon, he said.
Mrs Ablett-Kerr said it was important that Mr Goff's announcement came on the
day of her client's release because Ellis felt he was not going out as a free
man.
"Until his name is cleared he is not a free man."
His legal team hoped for a royal commission of inquiry, she said.
Wendy Ball, a law lecturer involved with several of the creche families, said
they would support an inquiry into the way evidence was gathered.
Such an inquiry would finally mean the evidence their children gave would be
validated, she said.
But a royal commission would be a waste of time.
"Two Court of Appeal hearings have found that there was no miscarriage
of justice. Justice has been served."
The young victims would be traumatised for the rest of their lives, Wendy
Ball added.
"It will never be over for these children. They have had almost a decade
of Peter Ellis, and that pain will never end."
She said the campaigners who worked to clear Ellis' name had not considered
the victims and the trauma of seeing his face on television and in
newspapers. Many of the children had suffered eating, sleeping and behaviour
problems.
The Commissioner for Children, Roger McClay, said he supported the right of
Mr Goff to call for an inquiry but wanted him to remember that it would bring
back a lot of traumatic memories for the children, many of whom were still
coming to terms with their experience.
"Mr Ellis has every right to appeal to the highest court in the land and
do whatever he can, but if there is an inquiry I will simply make sure I
speak to it on behalf of those children."
The Court of Appeal noted in its last judgment that there were issues that
could be more appropriately handled by a commission of inquiry. But the court
found that there was not sufficient new evidence in relation to contamination
of evidence to set aside the verdict.
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