The Christchurch Civic Creche Case

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Documents: 1999



1296  New Zealand Gazette No.34
Justice
Crimes Act 1961

Reference to the Court of Appeal or the Question of the Convictions or Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis for Sexual Offences Against Children (No.2)

Michael Hardie Boys Governor-General
Order in Council

At Wellington this 12th day of May 1999

Present:
His Excellency The Governor-General in Council


(1) His Excellency the Governor-General, acting by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council,-

a)  Refers the question of the 13 convictions of Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis for sexual offences against children to the Court of Appeal for hearing and determination. The background to, and the reasons for, the reference appear in the Schedule; and

b)  Revokes the Order in Council made on 4 May 1998 entitled Reference to the Court of Appeal of the question of the convictions of Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis for sexual offences against children (1).

(2) In making this order, His Excellency the Governor-General acts under section 406 (a) of the Crimes Act 196l and section 16 of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989.


Schedule
 
1.  Interpretations – 

In this Schedule, -

"the applicant" means Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis;
 
"First application" means the application described in clause 4 (1):
 
"First reference" means the reference described in clause 4 (2):
 
"Oral Ruling 14" means a ruling by the judge at the applicant's trial restricting the defence in extent to which it could cross-examine or lead, evidence on allegations by child complainants that were not the subject of charges:
 
"Second application" means the application described in clause 5.



2.  Relationship between first reference and this reference – 

This reference -

a) Revokes the first reference; and
 
b) Consolidates the grounds of the first and second applications; and
 
c) Incorporates and expands the reasons for the first reference.



Background
 
3.  Trial and appeal - 

(1) On 5 June 1993 the applicant was convicted in the High Court at Christchurch on 16 charges of sexual offences against 7 children who had attended the Christchurch Civic Childcare Centre.
 
(2) On 22 June 1993 the applicant was sentenced by the High Court at Christchurch to a total of 10 years imprisonment.
 
(3) On 8 September 1994 the Court of Appeal - 

a)  Allowed the applicant's appeal in respect of 3 counts relating to 1 child, identified as child A. who retracted her evidence during the hearing of the appeal in the Court of Appeal; and
 
b)  Dismissed the applicant's appeal against the remaining 13 convictions.

 
 
4.  First application - 
 
(1) The applicant made an application, received on 2 December 1997, for the exercise of the mercy of the Crown in respect of his convictions for sexual offences against children. The first application includes material submitted by the applicant after 2 December 1997 in support of the first application.
 
(2) On 4 May 1995 the Administrator of the Government, by Order in Council, referred the question of the 13 convictions of Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis for sexual offences against children to the Court of Appeal for hearing and determination.
 
 
 
5.  Second application - 
 
The applicant made a second application, received on 16 November 1998, for the exercise of the mercy of the Crown in respect of his convictions for sexual offences against children. The second application includes material submitted by the applicant after 16 November 1998 in support of the second application.



6.  Information about Dr Barry Parsonson, Professor Stephen Ceci, Professor Raymond Bull, and Dr Michael Lamb - 

(1) The applicant commissioned reports from Dr Barry Parsonson in support of some of the grounds in his first application.

(2) The applicant submitted material from Professor Stephen Ceci in support of some of the grounds in his first application.

(3) The applicant commissioned reports from Professor Raymond Bull and Dr Michael Lamb in support of some of the grounds in his second application.

(4) Dr Barry Parsonson, Professor Stephen Ceci, Professor Raymond Bull, and Dr Michael Lamb are currently employed as follows;

a) Dr Barry Parsonson is a registered psychologist. He is currently employed part-time as an associate professor of psychology at the University of Waikato and also works part-time as a consultant psychologist:
 
b) Professor Stephen Ceci is currently employed as professor of human development at Cornell University, Ithica, U.S.A.:
 
c) Professor Raymond Bull is currently employed as professor of criminological and legal psychology at the University of Portsmouth, England:
 
d) Dr Michael Lamb is currently employed as a senior research scientist and chief in the section of social and economic development of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethseda, U.S.A.



7. Grounds involving children's evidence - 
 
(1) one ground of the first and second applications is, among others, that, since the applicant's appeal, material has become available or obtainable that shows -

a) That the methods used to interview child complainants were seriously flawed; and

b) That the risks of contamination of the child complainants' evidence were underestimated and not properly investigated.

(2) The submissions in support of this ground include -

a) That the techniques used to interview the child complainants in the applicant's case were materially defective, having regard to the findings of expert research over the last 5 years; and

b) That the risks of contamination, and the special hazards that arise from mass allegations, in the child care environment were not recognized; and

c) That the matters described in paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) or both paragraphs may affect the reliability or credibility of the child complainants' evidence.

(3) In support of this ground, the applicant tendered, among other material, the following 3 reports by Dr Barry Parsonson:

a) "Comment on the probability of contamination in 'disclosures' obtained from children in the case of R v. Ellis", dated 30 November 1997;
 
b) "The interviewing of children: Effects of question form, props, question repetition and repeated interviews on accuracy of children's reports. A review and commentary in respect of the Christchurch Civic Crèche interviewing and interviewers", dated 27 November 1997;
 
c) "Children's memory: A brief review of developments", dated 27 November 1997.

(4) The applicant also tendered, among other material, brief reviews by Professor Bull, dated 13 July 1998, and Dr Lamb, dated 17 September 1998, on the 4 reports of Dr Parsonson referred to in this order. The reviews jointly confirm the accuracy of Dr Parkinson's understanding of the literature in the areas covered by his reports. (A grant of legal aid was made for full reports by Professor Bull and Dr Lamb. The full reports were not available when the second application was made.)

(5) The applicant also tendered, among other material, a report commissioned by TV3 from Professor Ceci, dated 24 July 1995, together with extracts from a transcript of an interview with Professor Ceci on an unknown date.  These documents referred to the need for special care in dealing with mass allegations of sexual abuse in the child care environment.

(6) The applicant also tendered, among other material, the report of the Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service, dated May 1997. As part or its consideration of the investigation and prosecution of paedophile activity in New South Wales, the commission examined a number of cases characterised by multiple allegations of sexual abuse against staff at child care centres. The commission's report contains a number of strictures relating to the interviewing of child complainants in such cases.



8. Grounds involving retraction -
 
(l) One ground of the first and second applications is, among others, that, since the applicant's appeal, it has become clear that the significance if child complainants' retractions of their evidence was not properly understood.

(2) In support of this ground, the applicant tendered, among other material, a report by Dr Barry Parsonson entitled "Retraction of allegations of abuse by children", dated 27 November 1997.



9. Grounds involving trial procedure - 
 
(1) One ground of the first application is, among others, that the applicant did not receive a fair trial because of rulings made at the trial relating to the admissibility of evidence.
 
(2) The submissions in support of this ground include the submission that, as a result of Oral Ruling 14, the jury was derived of material relevant to the assessment of the reliability or credibility of the child complainants' evidence.



10.  Grounds involving jury - 
 
(1) One ground of the first and second applications is, among others, since the applicant's appeal, it has become clear that the jury which convicted him failed to disclose that it might not have been impartial and as a result he did not receive a fair trial,

(2) The jurors involved are-

a) "Juror A", who is said to have had a connection to a Crown witness through the juror's intimate partner:

b) "Juror B", who is said to have expressed the view in a public place that the applicant was guilty, before the case for the prosecution was complete:

c) "Juror C", who is said to have told Ms Lynley Hood, an author proposing to write a book on the applicant's case, in an audiotaped interview -

(i)  That be was sexually attracted to one of the child complainants at the applicant's trial: and

(ii) That he had counselling because of this attraction.

(3) The submissions in support or this ground include the submission that the material on juror C, when considered with the evidence of possible jury bias through juror A, gives new significance to the evidence or possible jury bias through juror B.



11.  Grounds Involving non-disclosure of material - 
 
(1) One ground of the first and second applications is, among others, that material that was clearly important for the defence -

a) Existed at the time of the applicant's trial; and

b) Was in the possession of the Crown at that date; and

c) Was not disclosed to the defence.


(2) The material includes -

a) Photographs; and 
 
b) Documents relating to the issue or contamination of the child complainants' evidence by
parents.



Reasons

12. Reasons - The reasons for the reference are -

a)  That material is supplied in the first and second applications that indicates that a miscarriage of justice might have occurred because of the techniques used to obtain the evidence of the child complainants; and

b)  That material is supplied in the first and second applications that indicates that a miscarriage of justice might have occurred because the significance of child complainants' retractions of their evidence was not properly understood; and

c)  That material is supplied in the first and second applications that indicates that a miscarriage of justice might have occurred because the risks of contamination of the child complainants' evidence were underestimated and not properly investigated, which may have had consequences for the reliability or credibility of the child complainants' evidence; and

d)  That a miscarriage of justice might have occurred because or Oral-Ruling 14, when the ruling is considered in the light of the reasons in paragraphs (a) to (c); and

e) That material is supplied in the first and second applications that indicates that a miscarriage of justice might have occurred because of jury bias: and

f) That, if the applicant establishes that the material referred to in clause 11 was not disclosed to his counsel at trial, a miscarriage of justice might have occurred because material that was material to the defence was not disclosed to it.


DIANE WILDERSPIN, Clerk of the Executive Council.

Gazette, 1998, page 1415.