The Christchurch Civic
Creche Case |
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It is with sadness that we have
learned that Frank Haden has reluctantly hung up his pen, and will write no more,
peterellis.org spokesperson Brian Robinson says. In a news report by Mike Crean, we
are reminded that if one thing infuriates Frank Haden, it is
"bull..." Frank is quoted saying "I have spent my life
battling bull... There's a lot of it about a whole bull... industry".
Frank has battled well, and New Zealanders have benefited from his analysis
on a whole range of topics. We are particularly indebted to
Frank for his willingness to speak his mind on the Christchurch Civic Creche
case in which Peter Ellis was wrongly convicted. Frank had a healthy
skepticism about the case from the beginning, which allowed him to see
through the moral panic and absurd belief in junk science by those he
labelled as the "Druids of the sex abuse industry" He was one of
very few commentators who met with Peter and other creche staff,
personally viewed creche premises and availed himself of much background
information. In 1993, Frank labelled Peter
Ellis as "infamously imprisoned and manifestly innocent". By 1996,
Frank said "The continued incarceration of Ellis ranks with the greatest
miscarriages of justice ever perpetrated". It is hard to remember
now in 2006 what such a stance then implied. Frank fully realised, expecting
and even welcoming his share of "abusive mail and phone calls from the
shock troops of the sex abuse industry". Thank you Frank. |