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The
Christchurch Civic Creche Case |
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Convicted sex abuser
Peter Ellis faces an anxious wait as Solicitor-General Terence Arnold
considers recommendations that could clear the way for an appeal to the Privy
Council. Dunedin lawyer Judith
Ablett-Kerr, QC, has asked Attorney-General Michael Cullen whether he would
act upon a justice and electoral select committee recommendation not to
oppose Ellis's application for leave to appeal. Ellis was "very
anxious" to know whether Cullen would accept the recommendation, and
another that the Legal Services Agency consider legal aid for the bid, and
had sought an urgent response, Ablett-Kerr said yesterday. Cullen's spokeswoman
said the letter was passed to the Solicitor-General because the select
committee "got the boundaries between the roles wrong" and should
have recommended he consider the question in the first place. Arnold was unavailable,
but a Crown Law Office spokeswoman confirmed he would consider the points of
law relating to the case, and the application for legal aid. The select committee
last week relayed its report into a petition demanding an inquiry into the
controversial case. It rejected outright a request for a Royal Commission,
but recommended the Attorney-General not oppose application by Ellis for
leave to appeal to the Privy Council. It also recommended the Legal Services
Agency use its discretion to provide legal aid for the bid. Ellis was convicted in
1993 of sexually molesting children at the Christchurch Civic Childcare
Centre where he worked. Ellis, who has always maintained his innocence,
served two-thirds of a 10-year jail sentence. |
