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The
Press
August 18, 2003
Upset as Ellis case victims speak out
by Matt Conway
Author Lynley Hood is horrified that children whose
evidence resulted in Peter Ellis' child-abuse convictions have stepped up to
reaffirm his guilt.
Hood, who debunked the case against Ellis in her book, A City Possessed, said
it was "outrageous" that child complainants felt compelled to speak
out while the professionals involved in the case stayed silent.
In The Press on Saturday two Ellis complainants, both now 17, lashed out at those
who doubt any child was violated at the Christchurch Civic Creche.
"I'm sick of being called a liar," one said. "And if I don't
say anything, Peter Ellis will keep going around saying he's innocent and
more people will believe him."
Both teenagers were adamant they had been sexually abused by Ellis. Seven of
the 16 charges he was found guilty of related to the pair.
Hood, who is pushing for a Royal Commission of Inquiry, said no-one had
accused the child complainants of lying.
She said memories of abuse the children might genuinely believe to be true
had been induced by manipulative interviewing techniques.
These memories were unreliable, she said.
"I think the most scandalous part is the sex-abuse industry hiding
behind the children," she said.
"They are undoubtedly victims of this whole thing – not child abuse; of
pressure and manipulation.
"It's not the kids who should be fronting up and trying to defend what
happened. It's the interviewers, the therapists, the police, and the prosecutors
who should have known better. It's absolutely outrageous."
The snowballing controversy will go before a parliamentary committee, which
will next month begin weighing the call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry.
It was sparked by a petition signed by 140 prominent New Zealanders,
including ACT MP Stephen Franks, who is deputy chairman of the justice and
electoral select committee that will decide its fate.
Mr Franks said yesterday he would not step aside for the creche case
deliberations.
"There's no reason why I should. It's a political committee. We
obviously come to most issues with some prior values and objectives," he
said.
Signing the petition did not automatically mean he believed Ellis was
innocent, Mr Franks said. But he did have concerns about the influence of
feminist-driven views on cases of child sex abuse at the time of the creche
convictions.
"The rules of evidence had been warped by mob hysteria," he said.
There was "a sycophantic approval by judges to feminist ideology"
on sex-abuse issues.
"People are now much more sceptical of these satanic-abuse claims."
Christchurch Central MP Tim Barnett said briefings from the Justice Ministry
and petitioners were due by the end of the month.
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