New Zealand court quashes child sexual abuse conviction in landmark ruling

Case of Peter Ellis marks first time a court in the country has overturned a conviction posthumously

New Zealand's supreme court has quashed the convictions of Peter Ellis, a Christchurch creche worker convicted of child sexual abuse in 1993 in a highly controversial case that included allegations of large-scale ritual abuse.

On Friday, the court found that a substantial miscarriage of justice" had occurred. It is the first time in New Zealand's history that a conviction has been quashed posthumously - Ellis died from cancer in late 2019.