Stuff
June 24 2003

Petition for Ellis inquiry presented
NZPA

The organisers of a petition calling for a royal commission of inquiry into Peter Ellis' conviction in the Christchurch Civic Creche child abuse case hope the justice minister will order a new investigation.

Author Lynley Hood, whose book A City Possessed triggered the petition, handed over the signatures to National MPs Don Brash and Katherine Rich today on the steps of Parliament.

The petition has been signed by more than 800 people, including 140 prominent New Zealanders in politics, the judiciary, media and the arts.

At least one MP from each political party has signed it, including Labour MP Georgina Beyer.

The list also includes retired High Court judge Laurence Greig, former prime ministers David Lange and Mike Moore, Queen's Counsels Nigel Hampton and Stuart Grieve, law professors John Burrows and Brian Brooks, cartoonist Murray Ball, former Labour cabinet minister David Caygill, Sunday Star Times editor Suzanne Chetwin and Listener editor Finlay Macdonald, columnist Chris Trotter, businessman Sir Peter Elworthy, writers Maurice Gee, Witi Ihimaera and Keri Hulme, and arts patron Jenny Gibbs.

Ellis was sentenced to 10 years' jail in 1993. He spent 6½ years in prison and was freed in 2000, having always maintained his innocence.

Justice Minister Phil Goff today told reporters there had been a trial, two Court of Appeal hearings and a ministerial inquiry headed by former chief justice Sir Thomas Eichelbaum.

Mr Goff said there would need to be new evidence for the courts to again look at the matter.

"Judicial decisions are made by people with the skill and the experience to do so. They're not made by politicians, they're not made by authors, nor are they made by notable people.

"But the people who have signed are genuine obviously in their concerns.

"Their petition will be considered in the normal way by the parliamentary process. But my view at this stage is (that) to overturn a judicial decision, reaffirmed on a number of occasions, requires new evidence and that's what we'd want to see presented," Mr Goff said.