http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,955898a1561,FF.html
Christchurch, New Zealand.
Front Page
By STAFF REPORTERS
Police are refusing to be drawn on the status of their
investigations into a new complaint laid against Peter Ellis.
A 20-year-old Christchurch man has approached the police
with allegations that he was sexually abused by Ellis when he was a young boy
at the Christchurch Civic Childcare Centre.
The man made a formal complaint in January.
The complainant was not party to the original inquiries in 1992-93
which resulted in Ellis being sentenced to jail for 10 years for his conviction
on 13 charges of abusing children in his care.
The Press understands that police have obtained an opinion
from the Crown Law Office suggesting that the similar nature of the allegations
makes the possibility of fresh charges being laid unlikely, given the fact that
Ellis has already served a sentence.
But the police are refusing to comment at this stage on why,
given the Crown Law Office's advice, the file remains active.
Detective Inspector Rob Pope said he was not in a position
to comment.
The complainant, whose plans to marry are on hold until his
complaint is determined, also did not want to comment.
His mother was aware that the police had sought a legal opinion,
but was still waiting to hear the police's decision. She said the family was
still hopeful the police would pursue the matter, but had been told by the
police not to comment on the case.
"He is a courageous young man, who has the full support
of his family and his fiancee," she said. Her son had also been supported
by the Commissioner for Children, Roger McClay, who visited him last year, soon
after Ellis was released from prison after serving two-thirds of his sentence.
Mr McClay said at the time the new complaint surfaced that
he knew of others outside the court proceedings feeling "wounded, sad, and
concerned".
The development comes just days before the release of
Dunedin author Lynley Hood's book on the saga, due on Monday.
The Christchurch police officers involved in the original
creche inquiry can expect to come under close scrutiny and strong criticism in
A City Possessed.
Bob Hardie, one of the senior police investigators involved
in the creche inquiry, left the police five years ago, joining his colleagues
in Quentin's, a pie-making venture.
He was interviewed by Hood for the book, and fully expects
the police operation to be strongly criticised in it.
Despite the distance provided by five years out of the
force, Mr Hardie said he remains satisfied with the final outcome.
"When you're out there selling pies people still ask
'So is he guilty?' and I still answer 'Yes, I'm satisfied justice was
done'."
Ellis has always maintained his innocence. His latest bid for
a pardon was rejected in March. Justice Minister Phil Goff said then that a
ministerial inquiry by former Chief Justice Sir Thomas Eichelbaum found that
Ellis's case failed by a "distinct margin" to prove his conviction
was unsafe.
Graphics: One of Peter Ellis, one of Roger McClay.