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One News
August 2 2003

Concern over child testimonies

Child advocates are outraged that testimony from the Peter Ellis case will feature as an advertisement in a Sunday newspaper.

The graphic interviews with children were conducted during the Christchurch Civic Creche sex abuse investigation, but some were never heard by the jury.

Now Ellis advocate, businessman Barry Colman, has paid $25,000 to print them.

It contains child testimonies that are graphic in detail and of a sexual nature and Colman says this is evidence that was not given to the jury during Ellis' trial.

"It is not erotic in any shape or form. It shows a lot of children who are very confused, who are asked the same question over and over again till they get the answer the interviewer writes," says Colman.

Child advocates are worried it will stop victims from speaking out and provide more material for pedophiles.

"We already have a sophisticated ring of pedophiles out there that already have too much information and what they do with that information, I do not think it would be helpful for them to have any more," says Heather Henare from Child Abuse Prevention Services.

Shannon Pakura, Chief Social Worker for Child, Youth and Family, says there was nothing they could do to stop the advertisement being printed. And for that reason the paper says it will go ahead with it.

Ellis was released in 2000 after serving a six and a half years in jail for sexual abuse at the Christchurch Civic Creche. Ellis has always maintained his innocence.