The Press
July 24 2003

Publisher to expose children's testimony
by Jarrod Booker

Publisher Barry Colman plans to publicly expose controversial children's testimony from the Christchurch Civic Creche sex abuse case.

Mr Colman said yesterday he planned to publish transcripts of the testimonies, which he obtained as a result of publicity surrounding a $100,000 reward for fresh information on the case, in full page advertisements in national Sunday newspapers on August 3.

The transcripts would reveal testimony taken from the children at the creche and never given to the jury that convicted creche worker Peter Ellis to a 10-year prison sentence in 1993, Mr Colman claimed.

Ellis served 6½ years of his sentence and was released in 2000.

Mr Colman would not say how he obtained the transcripts, but said there had been no claim for the reward.

"The children's testimony will expose how pathetic, flimsy, and one-sided the evidence against Ellis was, and how the information was obtained by those questioning the children," Mr Colman said.

"The public will be able to judge for the first time for themselves the quality of the testimony."

While the names of the children had been suppressed during the trial the transcript evidence had not been, Mr Colman said.

"One of the transcripts we will be publishing will be that of the child who helped trigger all the claims that ritual satanic abuse had been practised at the Christchurch creche," Mr Colman said.

"After the public have had a chance to see this withheld testimony for themselves I'm sure there will be fresh calls for a royal commission of inquiry into the Peter Ellis affair."

The $100,000 reward for information was offered by Mr Colman after Justice Minister Phil Goff announced he would need new evidence before he would consider a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the case.

The deadline to claim the $100,000 for providing fresh evidence leading to a royal inquiry ends today.

The pledge resulted in more than a dozen calls from the public with information but follow-up investigations failed to prove the more sensational claims that were provided.

"I now intend to put some of the money into a fighting fund which will help finance the publishing of the children's evidence," Mr Colman said.

Mr Goff did not want to comment on Mr Colman's plans yesterday, but a spokesman for him reiterated there was a "proper process for criminal convictions to be reconsidered" should new evidence come to light.

Ellis also chose not to comment on Mr Colman's plans when contacted yesterday.