Lawyer says alleged treatment of prisoners amounts to torture

By CathNews New Zealand

April 1st, 2025

(Michael Coghlan/Wikimedia Commons)

Compensation and an apology are being demanded for two men who allege they suffered abuse amounting to torture while serving prison sentences, with one alleged offender a Catholic priest. Source: Radio New Zealand.

Human rights lawyer Tony Ellis has written to political and public service leaders, as well as the media, about the two prisoners.

The alleged abuse happened more than 40 years ago. Prisoner A alleges he was punished with solitary confinement in horrible conditions and Prisoner M alleges that, when he was 17, he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest while on weekend release.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care did not include prisoners in its scope. But Dr Ellis said he wants their cases to be considered through the same lens. He said the claims by Prisoner A and Prisoner M should be investigated, and they should be compensated.

The Royal Commission led to an admission from the Government that what some survivors of abuse in state care suffered amounted to torture. The Government apologised.

The Catholic Church told Radio New Zealand that anyone with a complaint about abuse in a Catholic setting was encouraged to contact the Police or the National Office for Professional Standards.

“We have ensured Dr Ellis is aware of that. The National Office for Professional Standards responds promptly to any such concerns or complaints,” a statement said.

A spokesperson for Erica Stanford, the Government’s lead minister for the response to the Royal Commission, said that, as the scope was set by the previous government, and as Ms Stanford was not responsible for coordinating the inquiry itself, it was “not for her to comment”.

Dr Ellis said: “I think the Government not taking responsibility for people they’ve tortured in prisons or prison-like amenities is a shocking truth that we have to live with.”

Crown Law and the Department of Corrections both said they took the claims about the two prisoners very seriously. Crown Law has asked Corrections to locate and preserve any relevant records. Corrections says it will assist Police in any investigation.

Anyone who has a concern or complaint about abuse in a Catholic setting can contact the National Office for Professional Standards on 0800 114 622.

FULL STORY

Solitary confinement, sexual abuse: Lawyer says alleged treatment of prisoners amounted to torture | RNZ News (By Kate Green/Radio New Zealand)