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The Dominion
June 29, 2002
Crèche case book a winner
by David McLoughlin
Justice
Minister Phil Goff has not yet read an official report on Dunedin author
Lynley Hood's book A City Possessed, which yesterday carried off an important
Montana Book Awards prize.
Hood's book, an in-depth look at the 1990s Christchurch Civic Crèche sex
abuse case, was the history category winner and goes on the shortlist for the
Montana medal for non-fiction at the awards ceremony on July 20.
When the 672-page book was published last year, Mr Goff said he was too busy
to read it. It argues that no abuse took place at the crèche and that child
care worker Peter Ellis was wrongly jailed on flawed evidence created from a
"moral panic" about child abuse.
Mr Goff said then that former chief justice Sir Thomas Eichelbaum's 2001
report which said Mr Ellis had failed to prove his innocence was "the
last word" on the matter.
But after many public calls and letters by Hood and others for him to read
the book, he asked a Justice Ministry lawyer to write him "an
appraisal" of the book, which was finished last month.
Mr Goff's press secretary, John Tulloch, said yesterday that Mr Goff had seen
the appraisal but would not be able to read it thoroughly till after the
election because of campaign commitments.
Mr Tulloch said the appraisal could not form any basis for reopening the
case, but Mr Ellis was able to apply again for the royal prerogative of mercy
despite his convictions being upheld at every stage in the legal process.
At a pre-awards function in Auckland
yesterday, co-judge Bill Ralston described A City Possessed as a phenomenal,
unbelievably good story that would nonetheless be an unpopular prize choice.
Hood said the public response to the book had been overwhelmingly positive,
though nothing had changed.
The judging convener of this year's Montana
awards is writer Witi Ihimaera, working with writer Lindsey Dawson and
Ralston.
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