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The Press
July 22, 2002
Crèche inquiry reopens
by Matt Conway
A former supervisor of the Christchurch Civic Crèche is terrified of
being implicated in another child abuse scandal -- but says she has nothing
to hide.
Gaye Davidson has been asked to contact police probing new allegations of
historic sexual abuse at the crèche.
Business cards from two Christchurch
detectives were last week left at her front door.
The same detectives also visited former crèche worker Peter Ellis to request
an interview over an abuse allegation dating back more than 10 years.
Ellis, who has always protested his innocence, was paroled from prison in
February 2000 after serving 6 1/2 years on charges of abusing seven children
in his care.
Ms Davidson and three co- workers -- Marie Keys, Jan Buckingham, and Debbie
Gillespie -- had indecent assault and sexual violation charges dropped in
1992-93.
This latest approach by police has clearly rattled Ms Davidson, 48, who has
always insisted no children were abused at the crèche.
"I'm dumbfounded. I can't believe they're revisiting it. I'm lost for
words, to be honest," she said.
Ms Davidson, who was yesterday coping with the end-stage terminal illness of
a close relative, said she had no intention of helping police with their
inquiry. "I won't co- operate with them. I helped them honestly and
freely last time and look what happened.
"The thought of going back to the police station just frightens me.
They've got all that power and what have you got, apart from your innocence?
"If they want to dream up this crap, they can sort it out themselves.
I've got nothing to offer them."
The Press understands that neither Marie Keys nor Debbie Gillespie have been
approached by police. Jan Buckingham died in December 2000.
The fresh allegations have reportedly come from a teenager who attended the
creche when Ellis worked there between 1986 and 1991.
A furious Ellis said police had not given him any details of the allegations
or who was behind them. He claimed the timing of the police visits was no
coincidence, coming just two days before the awarding of New Zealand's top literary prize to A City
Possessed -- Dunedin
author Lynley Hood's account of the crèche case.
"They've got Gaye Davidson absolutely beside herself, they've got my mum
up the damn wall, and they have got me, finally, very very angry."
Police were desperate to restore credibility to what had been exposed in the
book as an ill- conceived and flawed original inquiry, he added.
Police could not be reached for comment.
Asked whether he would co- operate with police, Ellis, 44, said he would take
advice from his lawyer, Judith Ablett-Kerr.
Book fuels fight for inquiry --A2 Living in dread --A4
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