• Author uses Ellis case as example
The "independent and scholarly" research shows child evidence in the case was "seriously flawed", Dunedin author and researcher Dr Lynley Hood says.
A long-time supporter of Mr Ellis, Dr Hood said fresh evidence on child interviewing in the case was of a high standard and independent.
Dr Hood, who wrote the award-winning book A City Possessed about the case, said a royal commission of inquiry headed by an overseas judge was also needed to investigate important broader aspects of the Ellis case.
Mr Ellis served almost seven years in prison after being found guilty of 16 charges of sexual abuse of children at a creche in Christchurch in the early 1990s.
Now 51, he has always denied the allegations but has had three petitions for a pardon and two appeals against his conviction turned down.
An application for a royal commission of inquiry into his case was also rejected.
Full details of the fresh Otago University research were not available yesterday, but Otago researcher Prof Harlene Hayne, a psychologist who is an authority on childhood memory-related issues, has studied transcripts of child witness interviews in the case.
Mr Ellis' lawyer, Judith Ablett-Kerr QC, of Dunedin, told Radio New Zealand the petition rested on fresh research indicating the questioning of the children was below a legally acceptable standard.
It was crucial to Mr Ellis and his mother that his name was cleared and the petition would be lodged at the end of January, she said.
Dr Hood paid tribute to the "independent and scholarly" work done by Prof Hayne and her research group.
Research had shown the child evidence was "seriously flawed" and she hoped the latest initiative on behalf of Mr Ellis would be taken seriously.
Dr Hood said Mr Ellis long ago received what she termed a "people's pardon" in the court of public opinion.
Most New Zealanders and most Christchurch residents clearly believed he had been wrongly convicted.
"But the system has great difficulty in undoing its own mistakes."
Most New Zealanders and most people within the justice system believed that the Ellis case involved "a terrible miscarriage of justice".
He had even been well treated by fellow inmates in prison.
"There will always be a few who won't budge, but they're very much in the minority.
"Unfortunately, they're in positions of power."
Some people had been "covering their backs" and were reluctant to admit mistakes had been made.
"I think it's vital to have a full independent commission of inquiry chaired by an overseas judge.
"We can only hope that this latest move will make something happen."
Dr Hood said a criminal cases review commission - a system used in England, Wales, and Scotland - should be introduced in New Zealand to ensure miscarriages of justice were more promptly corrected.
