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The
Christchurch Civic Creche Case |
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The lawyer for Peter Ellis
says they will go to the Privy Council if the Attorney General adopts the
recommendations of the Justice and Electoral Select Committee. Ellis, a former worker
at the Christchurch Civic Creche, served nearly seven years in jail after
being convicted in 1993 of offences against children. One of the seven
preschoolers he was found guilty of abusing later retracted the allegations
and three of Ellis' convictions have since been quashed. The Justice and
Electoral select committee has released a raft of recommendations for how
such cases should be handled in the future, but says a commission of inquiry
is not relevant. Its recommendations include that the system for handling
alleged miscarriages of justice be reformed and that the Attorney General not
oppose - or oppose only in principle - a new proposed action by Ellis for
leave to appeal to the Privy Council. Ellis' lawyer Judith
Ablett-Kerr says without such an endorsement the case would not have much
chance of success, due to its age. The committee says it
is unlikely the inquiry would reach a better view of the facts established at
Ellis' trial. Lynley Hood, author of
a book on the Christchurch Civic Creche case, says the government has a
constitutional responsibility to hold a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the
case. Hood and National Party
Leader Don Brash spearheaded a 800 signature petition for a Royal Commission. Hood says it is obvious
to many New Zealander's the justice system failed in the case and has been
unable to correct itself. The National Party says
the Select Committee's recommendations are inappropriate |
