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Journal of the Australia and New Zealand College
of Psychiatrists.
April 2003
A city possessed: the Christchurch
civic crèche case
by Lynley Hood
Dunedin:
Longacre, 2001
ISBN 1 87713 562 3 pp.672 $59.95
Review by Lisa Brown
Sydney, Australia
I
found this to be a very interesting book. At times it felt like reading a
‘whodunit 'novel, but because of the length of the book (672 pages)and the
exhaustive detail provided by the author, at other times the tempo of the
book did drag.
Having conducted research in the long-term sequelae of child sexual abuse, I
was interested to discover whether the book would change any of my current
perspectives. In focusing on the investigation of New Zealand's largest and most
controversial case of allegations of sexual abuse occurring in a Christchurch crèche, in
the early 1990s, author Lynley Hood offers a fascinating insight into the
case. Describing herself as a research associate with an interest in child
care, the author declares her position at the outset, writing that her
investigation into the crèche sexual abuse allegations led her to believe
that eccentric and flamboyant male childcare worker, Peter Ellis, and a
number of other female childcare workers were victims of a modern ‘witch hunt
'. Hood suggests that the allegations developed at the height of the ‘believe
the children 'movement in the child sexual abuse field developing in the 1980s,
mixed with the risks of overly directive interviewing, the misuse of
psychiatric testimony and over zealous policing and prosecuting. These all
lead to what she describes as a modern form of mass hysteria. There is an
interesting early chapter discussing the witch hunts of various ages, the
phenomenon of mass hysteria and urban legends.
The book, in sometimes excessive detail, looks at the historical background,
the subculture of Christchurch
and the very well respected crèche, which became the centre of major
allegations of child sexual abuse of multiple victims and of a ritual abuse
type. Hood avoids the trap of obvious bias or zealotry in either direction.
There is also an interesting touch when the author becomes caught up in the
court appeals process and is faced with the dilemma of whether to reveal
confidential information gained in her many interviews with those involved.
The main protagonist, Peter Ellis, serves a number of years in prison for the
offences, but has continued to strenuously claim his innocence, even when
several attempts at appeal did not clear his name. There is also the
interesting sideline of a College
of Psychiatry member
who provided expert witness testimony at the trial. As a strong ‘believer 'of
the potential damage of child sexual abuse for children, the book certainly
raised a great deal of thought in my mind, in particular whether the widely
touted prevalence figures for abuse are in fact correct and whether the
pendulum has swung ‘too far 'in terms of lack of scientific objectivity in
investigating abuse allegations.
The book would be of interest to any psychiatrist working with child sexual
abuse victims, either directly or indirectly, and possibly also to adult
psychiatrists who treat those who suffer the long-term effects of childhood
sexual abuse. However, I think the book has an even broader appeal, with its
emphasis on the difficulties of psychiatric testimony and looking at the
broader social issues of mass hysteria. The book is long and at times arduous
to read, but there are plenty of fascinating chunks within it and I came away
having a sense of a new perspective on the issues involved.
Whether or not you agree with author Lynley Hood's views on the falseness of
the allegations is not the point of reading this book; the book effectively
raises questions that anyone in the area of child sexual abuse will find
interesting and challenging.
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