Peter Ellis inquiry bid led by Don Brash
Dunedin author Lynley Hood and former National leader Don Brash have written to the new Justice Minister Amy Adams asking for an independent inquiry into the Peter Ellis case.Ellis was convicted on 13 charges of abusing children in his care at the Christchurch Civic Creche.
His supporters have always argued he was convicted on unreliable evidence from children interviewed in a leading way by specialist interviewers.
I have to be upfront about this, I have always considered the Peter Ellis case to be one of the worst miscarriages of justice this country has ever carried out. I was fascinated by the conviction at the time because it had every hall mark of a witch hunt.
The late 1980s and early 1990s was a wild west of ill baked conspiracy theories and poorly questioned nonsense. The internet was slowly becoming a force, but it was a force that allowed the transmission of unchecked conspiracies (far worse than now) and beliefs about satanic rituals more than it was the 24-7 counter checking multi-headed beast it is today.
Christchurch had played host to one such conference on satanic rituals, and lo and behold after that, Peter Ellis started facing allegations of sexual assaulting children with really weird satanic overtones.
One of the lead investigator Police Officers started having affairs with the mothers of the children supposedly abused and started acting in a manner that was more lover than Police Officer, parents started talking to each other and contaminated evidence, parents started getting paid large compensation amounts if they could argue their child had been abused and the evidence from the children was so questionable it would be funny if it weren’t so sad. One child claimed Peter had murdered another child and buried them in the backyard.
At no time was Peter or any of the other creche workers in a position to be alone with the children to commit any of these Satanic acts.
I believe Peter Ellis is innocent and never committed any of the offences he was convicted of. The problem is that some of those in the Judiciary who helped win this case have now all moved on inside the system and are protecting their original mistakes.
This is a blot on our justice system that needs urgent attention. I don’t think NZers now would believe the manner in which this case was prosecuted and would be horribly embarrassed that it had been allowed to stand unchallenged for such a long time.
Peter Ellis deserves better than this, the other Crèche workers who were maligned deserves better than this and the children and parents who have been led to believe they were the victims of satanic sexual abuse sure as hell deserve better than this.
Well done Don Brash for standing up on this issue.
Yes, and a great movie about a similar scenario called The Hunt is a good example of how wrong and out of control this situation can get.
It has been nine years since the mealy-mouthed rejection by the Tim Bartlett-chaired Justice and Electoral committee of the petition by signed by hundreds of NZ’s prominent people and public.
In that time Mr Ellis has been waiting on comparative research into the child interviewing methods, since completed, by Harlene Hayne of Otago University, and for his Counsel, Judith Ablett Kerr, to launch an appeal to the Privy Council.
In November last year Mr Ellis appointed Nigel Hampton QC and Kerry Cook to pursue legal avenues of appeal. Hampton had previously prepared Ellis’s first appeal against conviction in 1994.
Let us hope the wait for justice will soon be over.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/64348591/peter-ellis-inquiry-bid-led-by-don-brash
A “blot”?? The whole system is corrupt,policemen of highest rank pack raped and went unpunished,current commissioner gave shining eulogy for bent copper hutton,(fitted up innocent Thomas). Government ministers involved in election fraud,vested interest,abusing police and spy resources,interfering in investigations,burying inquiries,threatening journalists,removing free speech,protest rights ,freedoms,and legal aid and right to fair trial. Reporters of crime and whistleblowers and serious crime victims punished more than the perpetrators….ff sakes.
I told my MP and everybody about two serious cases..was told to “let it go” and “nothing could be done,get busy living”…Well managed to civil action the theft (over 150k) case,and gbh case died after 3 years of trying,and victim realised the futility of further effort.
I wouldn’t bother with justice system again…the otago police corruption case successfully privately prosecuted against the bent coppers took 9 years for ipca to find that they would NOT take any action???
This “corrupt” system has been unaffected by either political governing party…therefore obviously are not part of the solution,but contributors to the problem.
Obviously the solution must come from us as a community,all the other avenues within the “system” have failed to address the problem.eg case of officer trying to advance sexually on farmers daughter….was bailed up by family with poulan chainsaw to his privates.He was transferred south to otago I believe,and nicknamed “poulan” by senior officer according to witness statements in wishartinvestigates article.
So “blot” on justice system?? yeah nah….a smelly turd in the vast cesspool of excreta that is our injustice system.
When a world renowned journalist like Hager gets punished for telling the truth…it becomes fairly evident who all the criminals and accessories really are.
You’re so right Dave Hoppy. So why am I, like so many of us, not surprised by such outrageous acts of misrepresentation through corruption? And who is it that will stand against our corrupt government and it’s arrogant unruly behaviour?
The world of filthy politics and corporate capitalism wrapped in corruption desperately needs to be changed.
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