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The Herald
October 4, 2003
Creche children lobbying for Ellis
NZPA
Children and parents associated with the former Christchurch Civic Creche
have signed a second petition calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into
the Peter Ellis sex abuse case.
Gaye Davidson, supervisor at the creche at the time of the sexual abuse
charges, will present the petition to National MPs Don Brash and Katherine
Rich in Christchurch
on Monday.
Among the more than 3000 signatures are nine children and 17 parents who were
involved with the creche at the time of the case.
Ms Rich said she would not name the children as some were covered by identity
protection orders and others did not wish to be named.
The children were now young adults.
Prominent people to sign the latest petition include Arthur Allan Thomas,
whose double murder conviction was overturned after he spent nine years in
jail, philanthropist Rosemary Horton, author Alan Duff and former
parliamentary Speaker Sir Peter Tapsell.
Both Ellis and his mother had indicated they would attend the handing over
ceremony on the steps of the Canterbury
University Law
School.
Ms Rich said the second petition showed there was a "growing
groundswell" of concern about the Ellis conviction.
"Many people expressed a desire for a second petition as they wanted to
feel they had need to be involved," Ms Rich said.
The petition will be put before the select committee considering the original
petition calling for an inquiry
Mr Thomas said recently the conviction of Ellis was as close to his own
miscarriage of justice as any case he had seen.
He urged Justice Minister Phil Goff to "look, seek and find out".
"This will go on and on until something is done," Mr Thomas said.
"It happened in my case and it's happening again."
The Waikato farmer was twice convicted of
murdering Jeanette and Harvey Crewe at their Pukekawa farm house on June 17,
1970.
Mr Thomas was pardoned after an inquiry found police had planted evidence
incriminating him. In 1980, he received $1 million compensation.
Mr Thomas said justice was "the most important thing in the world",
and the public was not satisfied that it had been served in the Ellis case.
Justice Minister Phil Goff has said he needs fresh evidence before he can
launch an inquiry.
Ellis was convicted of child abuse and sentenced to 10 years jail in 1993.
He spent almost seven years in prison and was freed in 2000, having always
maintained his innocence.
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