| crime.files |
| |
 |
|
| crime.features |
| |
|
|
| crime.resources |
| |
|
|
| crime.co.nz |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Ellis boycotts parole hearing
Former day-care worker, Peter Ellis is half way through a ten-year jail sentence after being found guilty in 1993 of 16 charges of sexual abusing children in his care. On 20 March 1998, the Parole Board announced it had postponed its decision on whether he should be released.
Early in March 1998 Ellis had refused to appear before the board, which had sat to consider his release. Ellis is reported as saying he would not accept freedom if it implied he was guilty and the hearing went ahead without him.
The case has been, and remains controversial, dividing New Zealand, and particularly Christchurch, into two camps, one believing he is innocent, the other convinced he is guilty.
Earlier this year Ellis’s supporters petitioned the Governor General seeking a free pardon. On 28 March 1998, on advise from Justice Minister Doug Graham, Sir Michael Hardy-Boys referred the case back to the Court of Appeal for further consideration. A September hearing is being sought and Ellis is reported to be seeking bail pending the hearing.
These moves are part of ongoing concerns since Ellis’s arrest in 1992, The issue, which had gone relatively quiet, surfaced again dramatically on Sunday 16 November1997, with a 20/20 television programme which alleged a highly questionable approach by the State and of possible jury irregularities. The previous day, the media reported that the Solicitor General had ordered an inquiry into the Ellis jury.
The Solicitor General’s concerns centre on claims that two jury members did not declare their interests before, or after being appointed. The first allegation is that the jury foreman had been the marriage celebrant at Crown Prosecutor Brent Stanaway’s wedding 15 years earlier. The second was that another juror had been involved in a lesbian relationship with the mother of one of the alleged victims
TV3’s journalist Melanie Reid claimed on the 20/20 programme, that Detective Colin Eade, a primary crèche sexual abuse allegations investigator, had a history of psychiatric problems and an obsessive personality. (Eade has since disengaged from the police. He said on the 20/20 programme he was ‘burnt out’ before the case started and ‘beyond repair’ by the time it was finished).
On 19 November 1997 police Commissioner Peter Doone told a Parliamentary Select Committee on Expenditure, that he would have the allegations against former detective Colin Eade investigated.
He said he would report back to the committee but said this could take months, based on the experience of the length of time it was (then) taking to investigate criticisms into the police handling of the Bain murders.
(At the end of February 1998, legal adviser, Chief Inspector John Crookston of Police National headquarters in Wellington, visited the Christchurch Civic Crèche where Ellis worked, on behalf of the Police Commissioner and the Police Complaints Authority. He told reporters he had come to Christchurch over the concerns about the police investigation. He said he would be reporting back to the police commissioner.).
Colin Eade was interviewed on Radio New Zealand’s Morning Report on 20 November 1997. He was questioned by Shaun Plunkett regarding allegations he’d had relationships with two of the mothers of crèche children and had attempted to have a relationship with a third. Eade agreed he had relationships with the two mothers, but in 1993 and 1994, well after the crèche inquiry was finished. He also told Plunkett he had propositioned another mother.
He said he had come home after drinking heavily when he received a phone call from the woman. He admitted he had ‘stupidly propositioned her’. He said he had realised the foolishness of this the next day and had tried to pass it off as a joke, but he agreed he had in fact put a sexual proposition to her.
Labour’s Opposition spokesperson on law and order, Phil Goff also entered the media debate on 20 November, expressing concerns about Mr Eade’s alleged behaviour and doubts about Ellis’s guilt, primarily because of ‘suppressed evidence’ involving bizarre allegations by some of the children. Had they been included in the trial, they would have damaged the credibility of the children’s evidence.
Greg O’Connor, President of the New Zealand Police Association (the police union) defended the integrity of the investigation on Morning Report on 19 November 1007, emphasising that the concerns being raised now had been raised before and that Ellis had had a fair trial.
|
|
|
Ellis is refusing to appear before the parole board. |
|