Otago Daily Times
June 25 2003

$100,000 offer for story forcing Ellis inquiry
by Jane Smith

Businessman Barry Colman last night pledged a $100,000 reward to anyone who provided information leading to a royal commission of inquiry into the Peter Ellis case.

"It's for anyone courageous enough to recant or to confess that the evidence was so selective and biased that the jury had no choice but to find him guilty," he said last night.

Despite a petition signed by 140 notable people, Justice Minister Phil Goff was still refusing to launch an inquiry unless new information was presented.

Mr Colman, an Auckland businessman with strong Otago links through his ownership of the Carey's Bay Hotel, hoped the reward would encourage people involved in the case to admit evidence had been biased.

"I am convinced that Ellis is innocent and I think it now needs extraordinary measures to deliver justice."

Mr Colman was among those - including 20 high-profile Otago people - to sign a petition, presented to Mr Goff yesterday, requesting a royal commission into the case.

Queenstown cartoonist and artist Garrick Tremain had long-standing doubts about the case and had been pleased to sign the petition.

"I firmly believe anybody who is convicted should be convicted beyond reasonable doubt and I don't see that that has happened in this case," he said.

"Some of the evidence was extremely dodgy."

Dunedin Mayor Suhki Turner hoped the Government would treat the petition seriously.

"It is very important for us as citizens to make sure that when people go to be judged in a court of law that they are judged on facts and if there is new information that it is looked at again by the people in power. And that is what is being asked now."

Lawyer and former University of Otago chancellor Judith Medlicott was "not terribly optimistic" the petition would lead to a government inquiry.

Given there had already been an inquiry into the case it "would be a hard call for the Government to make, but that is not to say that it shouldn't", she said.

"I fear that an injustice has been perpetrated."

Longacre Press had published Lynley Hood's book on the case, A City Possessed, and publisher Barbara Larson had been committed to the case "from the word go".

"It's been a long time now, but it is not going away. When people have a sense of injustice it just bubbles away," she said.

Other high-profile Otago people who signed the petition were:

University of Otago specialist in constitutional law and the philosophy of law Associate Prof James Allan,
former AgResearch director and agricultural consultant Dr Jock Allison,
Dunedin broadcaster and writer Dave Cull,
Otago regional councillor, educationist and former high ranking Ministry of Education official Michael Deaker,
University of Otago philosopher Emeritus Prof James Flynn,
University of Otago neurosurgeon and medical ethicist Prof Grant Gillett,
University of Otago specialist in the learning and memory of infants and young children Prof Harlene Hayne,
University of Otago specialist in family and criminal law Prof Mark Henaghan,
author of A City Possessed: the Christchurch Civic Creche Case Lynley Hood,
University of Otago Dean of Dentistry Prof Peter Innes,
National MP Katherine Rich,
Otago artist Grahame Sydney,
Dunedin novelist and winner of 2003 Montana biography category Philip Temple,
Oturehua writer and 2003 Te Mata Estate New Zealand Poet Laureate Brian Turner,
cricket coach Glenn Tur