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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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The man who triggered
an investigation into alleged abuse at the Army cadet school in Waiouru says
he is "relatively comfortable" with limited details of an inquiry
released yesterday. The Government has appointed
former High Court Judge David Morris as independent assessor to look into the
alleged abuse at the former Regular Force Cadet School, but it will be
another week before the terms of reference for the ministerial inquiry are
made public. Defence Minister Mark
Burton said Morris would "separate issues of mistreatment from more
serious allegations that, even in the context of time, may amount to criminal
offences". The claims date back 25
to 45 years. A ministerial inquiry
does not have the power to summon witnesses or take evidence under oath. Former army sergeant
Ian Fraser, who yesterday said he had received about 350 allegations of abuse
since he first raised concerns about behaviour at the school, said Morris
seemed a good choice. "He certainly
doesn't appear to be an establishment figure. He appears to be a free thinker
and someone who isn't afraid of stirring up a bit of controversy so yes, I am
quite happy with the appointment." Morris had been
involved with the national Women's Hospital cervical cancer inquiry, the
Erebus Commission of Inquiry and investigations into the Mr Asia drug ring. Fraser said he would
have preferred an inquiry which could have summoned witnesses and taken
evidence on oath. Some witnesses may have a guilty conscience and might not
want to give evidence. "They would be
doing themselves no favours." After discussions with
Burton's office he was satisfied with the explanation that a commission of
inquiry would have taken much longer. He would be consulted over the terms of
reference before they were released. He had also been
assured Police Minister George Hawkins would co- operate with the inquiry if
the assessor needed to look at police documents. Burton said the army
would fully co-operate with the inquiry "making available all relevant
existing information in a timely manner". A spokeswoman said some
records may not be available because they must be destroyed after a set time.
She agreed that meant
it may not be possible to ascertain if someone had already been disciplined
for the kind of behaviour complained about. "The army has been
forthcoming in terms of going into their archives and getting out everything
to date that we've needed. So whatever Justice Morris thinks he needs to look
for in the archives they will find and produce as quickly as possible." -------------------- CAPTION: Mark Burton |
