"OTAGO DAILY TIMES"

Dunedin, New Zealand

Friday October 5 2001

Page 3.

ELLIS CLAIMS NOT MOVING OFFICIALS

By Joanna Norris

Justice Minister Phil Goff and Christchurch police head John Reilly will not revisit the case of convicted child-abuser Peter Ellis, despite new research claiming to point to his innocence.

The research was published on Monday in a book by Dunedin author Lynley Hood, titled A City Possessed, and though both men said they had not read the book, its conclusions had not prompted them to reconsider the case.

Ellis was sentenced to 10 years jail in 1993 for sexually abusing children, while he worked at Christchurch's Civic Creche.

I-le was released from prison last ,year, after serving two thirds of his sentence.

The new book follows a ministerial inquiry conducted earlier this year by former chief justice Sir Thomas Eichelbaum on behalf of Mr Goff.

Sir Thomas' weighty report concluded that Ellis had failed to prove his original conviction had been unsafe.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Mr Goff said, while the minister had not read the book and was unlikely to do so, he remained satisfied with Sir Thomas' findings.

The spokesman said the conclusions of the book were unlikely to prompt Mr Goff to consider a pardon for Ellis.

"That's why he got Eichelbaum to do this huge report. He came up with his findings, which Phil agreed with," the spokesman said.

Christchurch police area commander John Reilly said the book's findings had not had an impact on the police.

"This is not really anything for the police. The police involvement really finished quite some time ago. Unless there are any new allegations, we would not really be concerned with it."

Mr Reilly confirmed police were investigating another allegation of abuse against Peter Ellis. He said police would be "making a call about it in the very near future".

It was likely a decision about whether to keep the case open would take weeks rather than months. Mr Reilly said between two and three officers had been working on the case after the new allegations.