The Christchurch Civic Crèche Case |
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A City Possessed: Lynley Hood's book is important because of its challenge
to New Zealand's judicial system. Whether you believe Peter Ellis performed the sex crimes
against Christchurch children that he was found guilty of in 1993 is barely
as relevant as the questions Hood asks about the fallibility of the process
that convicted him. At the very least, A City Possessed presents a compelling
argument that the process is as fallible as the humans who devise and uphold
it. This is a big, weighty book, and at times Hood's attention
to fine detail interrupts the narrative's momentum. For the most part, the
minutiae is necessary to support her argument that Ellis was made a scapegoat
to break the fever of a conservative city that had become gripped by
old-fashioned hysteria. There are fleeting lapses in journalistic objectivity when
Hood's irritation with some of the key characters is pointedly revealed, but
these are merely exclamation marks in what is an otherwise meticulous
analytical dissection of the Ellis case. Time and distance from the alleged events allow for a more
objective, rational perspective, divorced from the witch-burning mentality
that did in Peter Ellis. Hood's book provides the background, the context and
a wealth of evidence the jury members never heard. Had they heard it, there
is ample cause to speculate that the charges against Ellis would not have
been found proved beyond reasonable doubt |