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Usenet
Newsgroups: nz.general, nz.soc.queer
March 23 2000
Peter ELLIS: Legal Aid $380,000 granted over 8 years
by David McLoughlin
In 1995 I asked ACC under the Official Information Act how much
ACC lump sum compo had been paid to the parents of creche complainants. ACC
did an extensive match for me. ACC said more than 40 parents received in
total more than $500,000, with some parents getting multiple payments of
$10,000 for each allegation they could bring against Ellis. One parent got
$50,000.
ACC required no evidence of abuse for making these payments. All that was
required was a claim form, which social workers and the city council handed
out at the public meeting at Knox Hall and encouraged parents to submit for
their automatic, no-questions-asked $10,000. Parents who refused to send such
forms in were visited at home by social workers who told them lump sums were
about to be abolished and they should quickly get in for the loot.
Det Colin Eade wrote letters on behalf of parents to ACC supporting handing
over the money.
At least 40 parents hopped on this gravy train! This is despite the fact
Ellis was charged on relation to the children of about 12 parents and after
the court case and appeal even the law says he only "abused" the
children of five parents.
Lump sums for sexual abuse were abolished soon after the Civic case because
tens of thousands of people were claiming them, most obviously fraudulently
on the advice of "therapists". However the new government has
promised to restore them.
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