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Waikato Times
June 26, 2002
Goff unmoved by Ellis controversy
NZPA
The
letters keep coming but Justice Minister Phil Goff appears unmoved on the
Christchurch creche case book, A City Possessed.
The 600-page book by Dunedin
author Lynley Hood throws the guilt of creche worker Peter Ellis into serious
question and points to flaws in the way the justice system handles complaints
of sexual abuse.
The book has sparked a flood of letters to Mr Goff who has so far not found
time to read it.
Mr Goff has studied a Justice Ministry briefing paper on the book, but not
sufficiently to expound on it. This week, through a spokesman, he said he had
read the appraisal but wanted to study it further before making any comment.
"The briefing document from Justice was just that and isn't intended to
be the basis for me to commence any new proceedings," Mr Goff said.
"However, notwithstanding the fact that Mr Ellis has had his case
examined by a jury before the High Court, two Courts of Appeal, and a
ministerial inquiry headed by the former chief justice, he is still welcome
to make a fresh application for the exercise of the royal prerogative of
mercy if he or Mrs Hood believe there is any fresh evidence not already
examined by any of those bodies."
Mrs Hood said one of the main points of the book was that none of the bodies
referred to by Mr Goff had looked at the case properly.
"One of the important points is that the Court of Appeal is set up so it
cannot correct its own mistakes." Its requirement for fresh evidence
before a case could be reopened gave it a good excuse not to look at a matter
again.
Mrs Hood said Mr Goff did not need the permission of the judiciary to pardon
Ellis and could do so if he had the political will and the moral courage.
"The whole point is to override the judiciary when it has gone off the
rails."
Apart from the issue of Ellis' guilt or innocence, Mr Goff still had to
address the shortcomings in the justice system the book had exposed.
"Mr Goff has been seriously misled if he believes my book is just about
the guilt or innocence of Peter Ellis. People have been writing to them about
this. If these problems are not addressed we will all continue to be at risk
of having lives and our families and our communities ripped apart by false
allegations of sexual abuse." --
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