Conviction 09 | Twists

Conviction 09 | Twists

From Motive: Conviction by RNZ

May 18, 2026 · 38 min · Season 2 · Episode 9

About this episode

The episode covers the beginning of the High Court trial into child abuse at the Christchurch Civic Creche involving Peter Ellis.

The High Court trial into child abuse at the Christchurch Civic Creche begins on Monday, 26 April, 1993. Peter Ellis is charged with 28 counts against 13 children. This series was first released on October 2023. To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here. Peter Ellis's friends rally round to help him scrub up his image and the trial begins. As the High Court trial opens, Peter Ellis finds himself before a conservative Catholic judge and a compromised jury with personal connections to some of the complainants. The tension and divisions this case has engendered has serious consequences. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Topics covered

  • child abuse
  • trial
  • justice system
  • media influence
  • public perception

Keywords

  • Peter Ellis
  • Christchurch Civic Creche
  • child abuse trial
  • High Court
  • 1993

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Christchurch Civic Creche, RNZ

Places: Christchurch, New Zealand

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