Peter Ellis

Who is Peter Ellis?

Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis is a former Christchurch child care worker who has been at the centre of one of New Zealand's most enduring judicial controversies. In June 1993 Ellis was found guilty in the High Court on 16 counts of sexual offences involving children in his care at the Christchurch Civic Creche and was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. His conviction has been strongly criticised, with concerns centering on how the children's testimony was obtained and presented to the jury.

Ellis has always maintained his innocence and many New Zealanders have supported calls to overturn his convictions. In 1994, the Court of Appeal quashed convictions on three of the charges but upheld the sentence. His conviction and sentence were upheld for a second time in the Court of Appeal, in October 1999.

Ellis was released in February 2000 after serving almost seven years in prison.

In March 2000, Chief Justice Sir Thomas Eichelbaum conducted a ministerial inquiry reviewing the children's evidence. His report, which has been widely criticised, upheld the guilty verdicts.