PM's conduct questioned in Lake Alice compensation case

 The National Business Review

September 22 2006

PM's conduct questioned in the compensation case 

Labour accused of hiding withholding details of controversial Lake Alice settlement from victims 

by Deborah Hill Cone

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A Wellington District Court judge has exposed a secret deal in which the government took a cut of millions of dollars from compensation payments to former mental hospital patients.

In a bold judgment out this week, Judge Tom Broadmore has criticised what he describes as the "political" decision made at the highest levels of government to secretly take 30% of the compensation payments from victims of mistreatment at government psychiatric institution, Lake Alice, to cover non-existent "legal fees."

The former patients were never told this was happening and the Crown's justification was Kafkaesque, Judge Broadmore said in a judgment that orders the government to pay out the withheld amount to one victim and opens the way for other claims.

Judge Broadmore has chosen his words carefully as the case touches on the conduct of a group of Wellington's most powerful public figures including Prime Minister Helen Clark, former High Court Judge Sir Rodney Gallen, Labour government appointee David Collins QC, now solicitor-general, and Ministry of Health chief legal adviser Grant Adam.

The background to the case is that in 2001 Christchurch lawyer Grant Cameron won a $6.5 million payout for a group of 95 former Lake Alice victims in a class action against the government.

As a result, the government decided to settle with a further 80 or so former patients on the same terms, appointing Mr Collins to help the patients and former High Court judge Sir Rodney Gallen to determine the level of compensation, as he had done for Mr Cameron's clients.

However, the Ministry of Health decided one-third of the sum determined by Sir Rodney would be deducted before the claimants found out, to keep the payouts in line with what it believed Mr Cameron's clients had received.

Mr Cameron's fee, which has never been publicly disclosed, was said to be about one-third of his client's payout, or about $2 million, in compensation for taking the ground-breaking case on a contingency basis.

Judge Broadmore notes that various recipients in Ms Clark's office were kept informed about the Ministry of Health's internal debate over this issue and Sir Rodney's position that he disagreed with having to make deductions.

"As reported by [Ministry of Health lawyer] Christine Lloyd in an email to Mr Adam, counsel at the Prime Minister's Office and one or two others, Sir Rodney told her that he had not appreciated the nature of the instruction, that making any deduction from the amount was a political decision, and he did not have sufficient information about the basis of Grant Cameron & Associates' charging," Judge Broadmore said. He noted that Ms Lloyd's failure to give evidence in the hearing did not help clarify "obscurities."

When Sir Rodney refused to make the deductions, "the responsible ministers," who at that time were Health Minister Annette King and Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia, instructed that 30% should be taken out of the total figure after it had been determined, but the victims were not to be told.

The secret deductions might never have come to light had it not been for a slip-up in which one victim, Paul Zentveld, was accidentally told the full sum to which Sir Rodney had deemed he was entitled.

Mr Zentveld, who had been admitted to Lake Alice as a young person, was told in 2002 he would receive $115,000 in compensation, but later was rung by Mr Collins QC and told there was a misunderstanding and this had been reduced to $80,000.

Mr Zentveld took action in the District Court to recover this money and this week Judge Broadmore ordered the Crown to pay up $35,000.

The judge said it would have been reasonable for the claimant to assume that the issue of costs was taken into account by Sir Rodney in making his determination.

"There was no way he could know how much a class action plaintiff with a similar history to his had received net in the hand. Mr Zentveld said in evidence that he had not known nor had he had any contact with any of the class action plaintiffs. He knew only that he had suffered terribly during his time in the unit ... He simply placed his trust in Sir Rodney to take all relevant matters into account and to ensure that the outcome would be fair."

It was not clear at press time whether the Crown would appeal the decision, but it is likely given the judgment came from the lower court.

And the case's implications could be far-reaching, with the Crown likely to have to pay the second tranche of Lake Alice victims their full entitlement. That may lead to the first tranche of victims, those represented by Mr Cameron, demanding that the Crown cover their legal costs to keep the payouts equitable.

Mr Cameron said the government had behaved in an underhand way to save a couple of million dollars.

"The issue is the extreme lengths to which the Labour administration has gone to keep secret the process to take 30% off the top," Mr Cameron said.

The New Zealand Solicitor General opens her mouth and proves what a fool she is

 my comments in RED in response to the solicitor generals 

18.9  Mr Richards was also a patient in the Child and Adolescent Unit of the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital in the 1970s. His communication to the UNCAT was largely based on Mr Zentveld’s.as would anyone who had been through Lake Alice  Mr Richards alleges that he inappropriately received electroconvulsive therapy, electric shocks to the genitals as proven by medical record and case turned down by ACC for cognitive damage and a burn to the penis so hardly alleged inappropriate treatment 

 , and drugs in the Unit, and that the New Zealand Government has not done enough to hold Dr Leeks to account. Yes well they failed to hold Dr Leeks to account and some of that had to be due to the affidavits from staff being kept from police that she knows full well about the cover-ups

 

But if you are saying police could not find the evidence to charge Dr Leeks then please explain these comments 

So either our police were totally incompetent or the evidence was actively kept from them by crown law and as it is unto crown law to approve Dr Leeks extradition this time will they also refuse to progress the case so as we have little faith in getting justice in NZ we had little choice but to proceed to the UNCAT for resolution 

He alleges breaches of articles 2, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the UNCAT. He also alleges that he has not been provided with sufficient rehabilitation by the New Zealand Government, again proven by ACC refusing care and is Ms Jagose aware what rehab is required for torture victims and how we would gain access to such rehab when the state denies torture which may lead to the Committee considering Article 14 of UNCAT, even though it is not expressly mentioned in the communication.well if Una is keen on adding breaches we could also add 

Denying brain-injured ECT patients appropriate recognition and care for their disabilities contravenes the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) incl Articles 5, 8, 16, 17, 19, 21, 26 and 28.

https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-2.html …

18.10  The Government filed its response to Mr Richards’ communication on 27 November 2019. On admissibility, the Government Stated that: the allegations of a breach in the UNCAT prior to 9 January 1990, when the UNCAT entered into force in New Zealand, are inadmissible; so let us be clear are the state saying because it was legal to torture children before 9th Jan 1990 that the treatment at Lake Alice was ok  the aspects of the complaint impugn the actions of agents outside the New Zealand Government’s jurisdiction are inadmissible; and Mr Richards has not exhausted his domestic remedies, at the time I filed my complaint with the UNCAT on the 22/03/2018 police were still refusing to take my statement as per many emails to and from police 

and can be confirmed by mike Wesley smith who spoke to the police commissioner on my behalf after releasing what had been overlooked in his interview of me as Police are currently investigating his complaint about Lake Alice and he is likely to have the opportunity to participate in the Royal Commission. Participating in the Royal Commission was not an option when I filed my case of torture with the UNCAT  and the Royal Commission has no power to deal with a complaint of torture 

18.11  On the merits, the Government has submitted that it has satisfied its obligations under the Convention through the numerous failed reviews and investigations of the Child and Adolescent Unit, including two prior and one current Police investigation, and through the Ex Gracia compensation excepted under duress and apology that was rejected as insincere issued by the Government to former patients of the Child and Adolescent Unit in the early 2000s, including Mr Richards. The Government has also pointed to the Royal Commission which is highly likely to consider the events at the Unit. But cant offer redress for torture so can't fully address our cases of torture as per royal commission statement

And the PMs statement 

So with no redress ordered by the UNCAT how is our case going to be settled by the royal commission???????????

The Government has submitted that advancements in medical practice in New Zealand mean that what occurred is exceedingly unlikely to occur again. 

Again New Zealand still has seclusion rooms and forced ECT and young people stripped naked loved in seclusion rooms and given ECT please explain how this is a change other than a slight age rise 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018673943/inside-new-zealand-s-newest-seclusion-rooms

https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/116501282/southern-dhb-left-naked-teenage-girl-in-seclusion-with-no-bed

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/65394326/electric-shock-therapy-in-the-modern-day

Barbaric ECT robbed man of treasured memories

A Christchurch man says "barbaric" electric shock therapy failed to lift his depression but robbed him of treasured memories.

David O'Neill's health deteriorated in 2004 after a motorcycle accident damaged his liver, bladder and thyroid and sliced his spleen in two.

He had repeated admissions to hospital for complications of his injuries and a series of unsuccessful investigations to find the cause of his chronic abdominal pain.

The frequent hospital stays and constant pain took its toll on his mental health.

"I ended up suicidal," said O'Neill.

He was admitted to Hillmorton Hospital in 2005 for depression. On his second stay, a doctor recommended a 12-session course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which O'Neill consented to.

"I cannot even remember being admitted to the hospital, never mind giving consent for the ECT," he said.

The treatment failed to lift his depression and it destroyed his memory. He has no recollection of his wedding day, the birth of his three children or even his childhood.

O'Neill, now 49, said that before his accident he had cared for his wife – paralysed in a 1985 car accident – and raised their three children.

"Now I can't do anything. I feel as if I'm above myself all the time. I don't feel pain; I'm emotion-free," he said.

ECT was "barbaric" and should be banned, he said.

His family is dismayed it was not consulted and says O'Neill was not well enough to give properly informed consent.

Daughter Julieanne O'Neill said her father no longer felt any love for his family, including his two-year-old grandson.

"My dad has no feelings for him, no feelings for his family. He doesn't feel anything for himself. He is living in an empty shell," she said. "It has taken every single bit of my dad that was ever there away from him."

She said some doctors appeared to see ECT as "the quickest and easiest" solution. "But it's not them that has to go home and have this zombie person to cope with."

Mary O'Neill said the shock treatment had stolen the husband she had known.

Psychiatric Consumers Trust advocate Liz Henderson said ECT could lift depression and transform the lives of patients. "There is a place for it." But it had clearly failed O'Neill.

"It has compounded what was already a difficult situation," Henderson said.

Henderson was concerned that consent was gained without his family's involvement. "He wasn't well enough to make that decision."

Vince Barry, general manager of Canterbury District Health Board mental health services, would not discuss individual patients.

However, he said it was the responsibility of clinicians to determine whether a patient was able to understand the pros and cons of ECT. "It would be unusual for someone to be given ECT without a discussion between the clinical team and close family members," he said.

The Health and Disability Commissioner has decided against a formal investigation of O'Neill's case and referred him to an advocate.

The Accident Compensation Corporation has refused his treatment injury claim, ruling that the ECT did not cause a physical injury.

Date Published:

May 09, 2007 03:00 AM

Author: KAMALA HAYMAN

Source: The Press, New Zealand

Lake Alice report

A good but disturbing read on mental health

http://www.nzlii.org/nz/journals/WkoLawRw/2012/3.pdf

Is ECT safe and effective?

The NZ Govt Lake Alice Cover Up

 The Cover Up of All Cover Up's STATE ABUSE

Very long read, but a must read 

Aaron Smale is a freelance journalist and photographer who has worked for Radio NZ, The Nation, Mana, North & South, NZ Geographic, Al Jazeera and The Spinoff. Twitter: @ikon_media

Lake Alice

A little historical digression is in order to give some context.

In the late 1990s, a class action suit was taken against the Crown on behalf of more than 40 former patients of the adolescent unit of Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital. The adolescent unit ran from 1972 until 1977 and has all the hallmarks of a barbaric experiment. The claim made allegations of serious abuse, including rape and sexual abuse by both staff and adult patients (many of whom were criminally insane), torture through the use of electric convulsive therapy, serious assault, illegal detention and other serious crimes.

When Labour came into government in 1999 (there’s that date), Helen Clark and Annette King promised to make things better and eventually the Crown settled by paying out $10 million.

In the process, they explicitly acknowledged the truth of the allegations. Helen Clark’s letter of apology to victims, counter-signed by Health Minister Annette King, said: “What happened to you in the Child and Adolescent Unit at Lake Alice was unacceptable. What occurred to children there should not have happened. We very much regret that it did.”

The apology and payout were supposed to make it all go away. It didn’t. The second batch of former patients also made a claim and was also paid out.

To complicate matters further, High Court judge Sir Rodney Gallen was asked to assess how the payment should be divvied out for the first group of claimants. Strangely, that was all he was asked to do. But being a man of some curiosity and integrity, he asked to speak to the claimants and also examined documents and other evidence.

He was so horrified by what he heard and saw that he felt compelled to write a report, which was then duly leaked and which the government fought in court, unsuccessfully, to prevent the media quoting from.

Gallen’s report was stark and unequivocal. In a particularly telling line, he described what he had discovered as “outrageous in the extreme.” He stated bluntly that the allegations of sexual abuse were not merely allegations but, in his view, had indeed happened. He arrived at the same conclusion on the other allegations. To paraphrase, the state was guilty of running a den of torture and abuse.

Police and Crown Law

The allegations were then the subject of police complaints, which involved more than 40 former patients (this number later grew). For reasons yet to be explained, the police failed to interview these complainants. After dawdling for around eight years they finally announced there was not enough evidence to prosecute, demonstrating a blatant example of willful blindness.

All this despite a High Court judge finding conclusive evidence of serious crimes against children; despite Helen Clark acknowledging in a formal letter that it did happen; despite this legal opinion not being based on any serious examination of the evidence; despite the UN repeatedly asking why the Lake Alice allegations had not been properly investigated (ironically it was still asking this when Helen Clark was applying for the top job).

So who instructed the police to not do their job? Was there any political interference? Sorry, the Royal Commission can’t answer those questions because it can’t ask them. Post-1999 you see.

While the police were busy not doing their job, Crown Law was very busy doing theirs. Officials advising government ministers as far back as 1998 were ringing alarm bells. Not only was the government at risk of serious liability for what happened at Lake Alice, but there were also other institutions that had come to their attention.

Most of the Lake Alice claimants were wards of the state and had been through other institutions – Kohitere, Holdsworth, Hokio Beach, Owairaka and the like – which were under the Department of Social Welfare. They had made similar allegations about those institutions. Lake Alice was simply a Pandora’s Box that officials wanted to keep a lid on. In documents going back as far as last century officials were flagging the potential liability.

Keeping the lid on

In the first story I did on state abuse in 2016 I spoke to Ros Noonan, the previous Chief Human Rights Commissioner. Among other things she told me that when the Lake Alice issue arose previous Attorney-General Margaret Wilson came under pressure from Crown Law officials to “shut it down”.

Margaret Wilson has refused to give an interview on this.

But what I have been told is that she tried to resist the pressure of her own officials and was inclined to deal with Lake Alice in a more open and transparent way. It appears she ran into opposition from her fellow Labour MPs, particularly Helen Clark and Annette King, who did not want such an investigation into what happened and why.

The upshot of all this was Crown Law got its way. It devised and carried out a legal strategy that used all technical legal defences to defeat claims by those who had been abused in state institutions. That strategy has not been revoked.

This might sound dry and technical but it has had some ugly consequences and inflicted further harm on people who have already suffered terrible abuse. I have seen some spectacularly immoral arguments that were put forward in our courts by Crown Law (paid for by you, the taxpayer) to defend the indefensible. These attitudes have permeated the whole state apparatus dealing with these claims. These attitudes started at the top.

And it is this attitude that has meant the redress scheme the government has persisted with has been grossly unfair. It has left a festering sore that is one of the main reasons there was a need for a Royal Commission in the first place.

I’ve yet to pin down all the details of how this happened and how it played out because I’ve been constantly refused access to relevant documents under the guise of legal privilege, despite the Lake Alice case being done and dusted (there are a litany of other bullshit excuses that are too dreary to repeat).

But it is clear that at some point this legal strategy was signed off at the highest levels of Government.

Helen Clark must have been in the loop and had oversight – she was in charge.It wasn’t a trivial matter as it had major fiscal and political implications. Michael Cullen was most definitely involved after Margaret Wilson was shifted sideways into the Speaker’s role and he took over as Attorney General (just to be even-handed, this strategy was vigorously pursued without significant deviation by John Key’s National-led government, particularly by Attorney General Chris Finlayson and Ministers for MSD, Paula Bennett and Anne Tolley).

Who was involved in those discussions and what were their decisions around how to respond to victims of abuse at the hands of the state? Well, the Royal Commission won’t be able to find out because the 1999 cut-off date prevents it from asking those questions.

More questions

Here some further questions I’ve been trying to get answers to.

What part did Peter Hughes (currently the State Services Commissioner) play when he was boss of MSD in the 2000s? What advice was he giving the minister and what instructions was he giving to his staff about how to handle claims of abuse by wards of the state?

Again, I’ve had endless difficulty getting answers. But MSD’s behaviour gives some clues – it has hired private investigators and top QCs to bulldoze victims into the ground in a court of law. Or if you wanted to avoid being shredded by a QC, you could accept a lowball offer.

But the Royal Commission is currently blocked from investigating Mr Hughes’ decisions and actions.

I’d also be interested to know what role Una Jagose (currently Solicitor General) played in Crown Law’s response to state abuse. I’ve seen a letter where she dismissed a victim’s claim out of hand in her role as a Crown lawyer, despite Crown Law knowing the alleged perpetrator had previous convictions for sexually abusing children. Some of those offences happened at Epuni Boys Home, where the claimant had been a resident.

Was this part of a deliberate strategy of denial, even in the face of clear evidence, knowing the invasive nature of a court trial would be too traumatic for many victims to face? That evidence, ironically, led to further police charges and court convictions against the same perpetrator.

Technically the Royal Commission won’t be able to explore these questions because they happened after 1999. Out of scope, in bureaucratic parlance.

That date

If that date stands, the Royal Commission will be able to do less than I can as an individual journalist. At least I can ask those questions. On the face of it, the Royal Commission is being prevented from even doing that.

If I am wrong and the government and public servants have nothing to hide, why don’t they simply remove the cut-off date of 1999 and let the Royal Commission have a look at what happened over the past two decades? Why is Ardern and her government clinging so stubbornly to the 1999 cut-off date when so many experts have made submissions asking for its removal? Why is a Royal Commission of Inquiry into state abuse not being allowed to investigate the state’s response to that abuse when victims started to talk about it, which largely happened after 1999?

It makes no sense, especially when it can take decades for victims of sexual abuse to come forward. Many victims of state abuse when they finally mustered the courage to speak up were told by Crown Law in cold legal language that they were lying, adding further distress. Who authorised that? We won’t find out under the Royal Commission’s current terms of reference.

In a previous piece, I wrote I characterised the state as a psychopath – completely lacking in remorse or empathy, manipulative, narcissistic, no insight into their offending, a high risk of reoffending, etc. In its handling of state abuse, I argued that the New Zealand state is a textbook case of a psychopath.

And yet again that diagnosis is proving to be frighteningly accurate.

Justice Gallen got it right. The abuse that occurred in places like Lake Alice was “outrageous in the extreme.” But so is the state’s cover-up over the past 20 years.If the Royal Commission can’t examine that cover-up, it will simply be another chapter in it.

It won’t be a Royal Commission. It will be a Royal Omission.

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THE PM HAS NO EMPATHY FOR TORTURED CHILDREN

New Zealand Govt tortured boys and girls as young as 4 with #ECT to body parts while awake and screaming and sets crown law on survivors to prevent them from getting rehab and compo.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/12/un-involved-in-

manawatu-abuse-investigation.html

https://kiwijustice2blog.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/sir-rodney-gallens-report-on-the-rape-drugging-and-torture-of-nz-children/

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/11/glimmer-of-hope-for-lake-alice-state-abuse-survivors.html

small glimmer of hope for lake Alice survivors

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/11/glimmer-of-hope-for-lake-alice-state-abuse-survivors.html

Hon Jacinda Arden PM of New Zealand

I would like NZ to respect their obligations to the UN Convention Against Torture. We want an independent and impartial investigation of our cases. We want a public and unreserved apology. We want public acknowledgement of what occurred. We want a Royal Commission or Commission of Inquiry that is independent, impartial, open and public (we don’t want our histories buried by a government in damage control which forms the CLAS which is forbidden from making a public or ministerial comment). Yes, shockingly we want what was afforded to institutional abuse survivors in every other commonwealth jurisdiction – an inquiry that acknowledges and validates our trauma  We want to protect future generations of children from the monsters we encountered as children through policies and law. With public knowledge comes public accountability. Thus, we want a public inquiry. Your government through the CLAS has engaged in a cynical cover-up  We want adequate redress for the carnage that the abuse caused. We want access to the courts where the State doesn’t invoke the statute of limitations defences. Basically,  all political smoke and mirrors aside, we want NZ to respect its obligations to the UNCAT. Until then we will keep fighting. The NZ state abused me once- shame on you. But to abuse me twice – shame on me. Isn’t going to happen and we aren’t going away until we get meaningful justice. And the NZ Governments inaction to do anything meaningful about it. We have never been offered any rehab to get over the trauma we where put through and the govt has spent in excess of 20 million on lawyers fighting us at the UN and making it as difficult as they can to prevent us having our say

and as for the NZ Police investigation and then their apology for overlooking an eyewitness to at least one case and so Dr Selwyn Leeks could have been brought to justice for the torture and sexual abuse he put us threw I escaped lake Alice and lived in fear like an escaped criminal from 15 till I was 36 and found out the place had been closed down my whole life was stolen by being put into lake Alice as a ward of the state I still have vivid nightmares even today which affects my whole family I have permanent memory loss and cognitive problems due to all the ECT most while I was awake and naked locked in a cell with nothing but a bucket for a toilet and you say all NZers have an equal chance at life!  So I rot on an invalids benefit because ACC refuse to recognize ECT as medical misadventure and never had access to get treatment for this as most MPs have selective memory as well here is so info 

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/11/16/325081/inquirys-filings-will-lead-to-royal-omission

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/11/glimmer-of-hope-for-lake-alice-state-abuse-survivors.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/190198281412498/

More allegations of abuse at mental institution

Four former patients of Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital in Nelson have lodged formal complaints of abuse at the institution, including allegations of experimentation on patients.

Almost 200 complaints have been made by people who allege they were abused in mental health hospitals around New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s.

Wellington lawyer Roger Chapman said today a "steady number" of former patients of Ngawhatu Hospital were now coming forward, including a man whose wife was a patient in the 1950s and a former nurse aide at the hospital.

The hospital closed in 2000-2001, with its residents resettled into the Nelson community.

The former patients who have laid complaints claim they were victims of sexual and physical abuse by staff members and were given electric shock therapy as punishment.

The nurse aide had alleged experimentation in electric shock therapy was carried out on patients, sometimes several times a day, during her time working there.

"There is also talk of some patients being given an electrical leucotomy. We are still getting details about that but it doesn't sound great."

A leucotomy is a surgical operation on the front lobes of the brain to treat severe psychiatric illness.

Mr Chapman said the woman had a medical journal and further information about treatments at the hospital which were to be given to his office for further investigation.

Nearly 70 of the nationwide claims have been filed in the High Court, each seeking compensation of up to $500,000 and exemplary damages approaching $50,000.

- NZPA

Herald Feature: Health system

Psychiatrist Faces Trial over Claim Electroshock Therapy Damaged Cardiologist’s Brain

Posted by Arlin Crisco on Oct 11, 2016 11:36:39 PM

West Palm Beach, FL—Trial is scheduled to begin this week against a South Florida psychiatrist accused of negligence in overseeing electroshock treatments that allegedly left a cardiologist with brain damage. Dadi v. Sharma, 2011CA16027.

According to court documents, cardiologist Dr. Shaul Dadi claims psychiatrist Dr. Praturi Sharma oversaw electroshock therapy, otherwise known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT, on Dadi in 2010 without obtaining the his informed consent. Dadi contends the ECT, intended to treat his depression following the breakup of his medical practice, was delivered in voltage bursts far beyond typical standards under the circumstances.

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Dadi claims the treatments have left him with brain damage and severe memory loss, according to his complaint in the case.

In response, Sharma contends he properly obtained informed consent, followed appropriate treatment standards, and claims Dadi’s own negligence was the cause of any long-term injury following ECT, according to court documents.

During an ECT procedure, electric currents are passed through a patient’s brain, triggering a brief seizure. According to the Mayo Clinic website, physicians believe ECT can change a patient’s brain chemistry, reversing some types of depression and other mental health issues.

Trial in the case is expected to last at least a week. CVN will provide live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial.

Email Arlin Crisco at acrisco@cvn.com. 

Related Information

Dr. Shaul Dadi is represented by Jeffery Fenster, of Fenster & Cohen P.A. and Nancy La Vista of Clark, Fountain, La Vista, Prather, Keen & Littky-Rubin.

Dr. Praturi Sharma is represented by Cole, Scott & Kissane’s Michael Brand and Jami Gursky.

Watch the trial live and on demand when it begins.

Not a subscriber?

Learn how you can watch the best attorneys in the biggest trials, in Florida and across the country.

links to sites on nz mental health abuse in NZ

2004-0626 - NZ Herald - Cold case parents' agony by Stephen Cook - The death certificate said James Kake died of a severe asthma attack, but his family were never convinced. Now they are joining the growing chorus of calls seeking a public inquiry into claims of serious abuse at mental hospitals. 2004-0623 - The Press - Desperate days at Sunnyside recalled By Kamala Hayman - Sally (not her real name) knew she was not like other girls. Withdrawn and depressed, she was secretly scrubbing her stomach with sandpaper. Sometimes she would grab a piece of broken glass, a razor blade – anything sharp – and slice into her arms and legs. She had started self-harming when she was 12 years old…………… 2004-0623 - The Press - Abuse victims call for Govt inquiry By Kamala Hayman - A woman subjected to years of shock treatment and threatened with a lobotomy while a teenage patient at Christchurch's Sunnyside Hospital in the 1960s is seeking an inquiry. The woman, now aged 56, is joining more than 200 former child psychiatric patients nationwide taking legal action against the Government over alleged mistreatment during the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0623 - NZ Parliament - Questions for Oral Answer Psychiatric Institutions—Abuse -  Ron Mark (NZ First) to the Attorney-General: Will she be ordering an inquiry into claims of serious abuse at psychiatric institutions during the 1960s and 1970s; if not, why not? 2004-0621 - NZ Herald - Abuse complaints 'should be believed' by Martin Johnston - The more than 200 former psychiatric patients claiming compensation for mistreatment should be believed because of the sheer force of their numbers, a lawyer says. Sonja Cooper, who represents more than half the claimants, said their credibility was established by so many people recounting similar experiences. 2004-0620 - Newstalk ZB - Abuse inquiries flow in There has been a steady stream of inquiries from former employees and patients over abuse allegations at psychiatric hospitals. Almost 200 official complaints have been made by people who allege they were physically and sexually abused in state mental health hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0619 - The Press - Nelson abuse claims Four former patients of Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital in Nelson have lodged formal complaints of abuse at the institution, including allegations of experimentation on patients. Almost 200 complaints have been made by people who allege they were abused in mental health hospitals around New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0619 - NZ Herald - Witness to boy's death believes there was a cover-up by Stephen Cook - A chill cuts through the air as Stephen Lindsay slumps on to his sofa bed. As he pores over pages of crumpled documents trying to piece together his thoughts, his eyes suddenly bulge and dart to the other side of his cramped and cluttered haunt. Then his composure melts. …….. 2004-0619 - NZ Herald - Mother wants to know how son died at psychiatric hospital by Martin Johnston - Clement Matthews' mother wants the police to get to the truth about his death in Kingseat mental hospital 36 years ago. Rebecca Matthews, 63, said yesterday that she first learned of the police re-opening their investigation into the 1968 death of 11-year-old Clement in last week's Weekend Herald. 2004-0618 - NZ Herald - More allegations of abuse at mental institution NZPA - Four former patients of Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital in Nelson have lodged formal complaints of abuse at the institution, including allegations of experimentation on patients. Almost 200 complaints have been made by people who allege they were abused in mental health hospitals around New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s. Wellington lawyer Roger Chapman said today a "steady number" of former patients of Ngawhatu Hospital were now coming forward. 2004-0618 - Nelson Mail - Abuse complaints mount against psychiatric hospital by Sheriee Smith - Four more former patients of Ngawhatu psychiatric hospital have lodged formal complaints of alleged abuse at the institution - including claims of experimentation on patients. Almost 200 complaints have been made by people who allege they were abused in mental health hospitals around New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0615 - NZ Herald - PM ponders response to psychiatric abuse allegations by Audrey Young - The Prime Minister yesterday raised the possibility that complaints about abuse in mental hospital could be dealt with through mediation. However, she said the Government needed more information before it decided between that approach or an inquiry. 2004-0614 - NZ Herald - More patients say they were abused in asylums by Martin Johnston - More former patients have come forward alleging that they were abused in mental asylums during the 1960s and 1970s. The Weekend Herald revealed that the claims of widespread mistreatment that were previously confined to the former Porirua and Lake Alice asylums encompass most of the closed mental hospitals from Auckland to Otago. 2004-0614 - Nelson Mail - Nelson patients alleging abuse The Government is considering an inquiry into claims of serious abuse at mental health hospitals, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today. Almost 200 complaints have been made by former patients who allege they were abused in mental asylums during the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0612 - One News - Police reopen 1960s Kingseat case The death of an 11-year-old boy nearly four decades ago at an Auckland psychiatric hospital is being investigated again by police. The case has been reopened after a witness spoke out against the original coroner's findings. The case is also adding weight to calls for a commission of inquiry into claims of abuse at psychiatric institutions in the 1960s and '70s. 2004-0612 - NZ Herald - Woman recalls Tokanui trauma by Martin Johnston - Mary was put in Tokanui mental hospital in 1968 to help her to recover from depression. Aged 18, she was depressed after the birth of a baby, the second of her four children. But instead of receiving help, Mary says, she suffered beatings and sexual abuse, and was left damaged by electro-convulsive therapy (ECT). 2004-0612 - NZ Herald - Police re-open boy's hospital death case after 36 years by Martin Johnston - The police have re-opened the 36-year-old case of a boy's death at Kingseat psychiatric hospital south of Auckland, after a witness said a nurse beat the youngster. A 1968 coroner's finding that 11-year-old Clement Matthews died of pneumonia has been challenged by former patient Stephen Lindsay, who was 14 at the time. He says he saw a male nurse attack Clement 12 hours before he was found dying in his locked room. 2004-0612 - Newstalk ZB - 200-plus abuse claims from ex-psych patients Lawyers are expecting a landslide of abuse claims from former psychiatric patients. More than 200 claims, alleging physical abuse in state-run institutions, are believed to be in the pipeline. Police have reopened the 36-year-old case of Clement Matthews, who was ruled to have died of pneumonia at Kingseat psychiatric hospital, south of Auckland. 2004-0602 - Dominion Post - Porirua abuse claims rise to 130 The number of claims against the Crown for alleged physical, sexual and mental abuse at Porirua Hospital during the 1960s and 70s had risen to about 130 by yesterday. One of the lawyers spearheading the legal action, Sonja Cooper, said more claims were expected. "People find it difficult to talk about this kind of abuse and for some it can take months or even years to summon up the courage." 2004-0601 - Dominion Post - Patient abuse claims investigated Complaints of mistreatment of former patients at Porirua Hospital are under investigation by the Crown Law Office, it has been revealed. Prime Minister Helen Clark and Attorney-General Margaret Wilson have left the door open to an inquiry but say the complaints must be investigated first. Ms Wilson confirmed yesterday that the Crown was investigating 62 claims about treatment at various psychiatric institutions, including Porirua, and a further 44 complaints were likely to be filed. 2004-0531 - One News - Crown probes alleged patient abuse The Attorney General says the Crown is currently investigating 62 allegations of past abuse of patients at psychiatric hospitals. Margaret Wilson issued a statement on Monday afternoon in response to claims by former patients on the Sunday programme that they were physically abused by staff at Porirua Hospital in the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0531 - NZ Government - Post Cabinet Press Conference Rt. Hon Helen Clark -  Media: Is the government considering any sort of inquiry into the allegations of abuse at Porirua?    PM: That has been referred to Crown Law and the Attorney-General. We’re investigating 62 claims, which have been filed, and I understand Margaret Wilson will have a statement out later today. 2004-0323 - Manawatu Standard - Lake Alice decision delay upsets victims A preliminary decision about laying charges against former Lake Alice Hospital staff who allegedly abused and tortured children in the 1970s is expected next month. The Crown Law Office is expected to give the Police Commissioner's Office its advice within weeks. Then Commissioner Robert Robinson will decide whether to lay charges. 2004-0306 - Manawatu Standard - Raped and tortured: A New Zealand childhood The demons of Lake Alice still haunt the people who lost their childhoods there. Lee Matthews talks to a survivor. "We were doomed people in Lake Alice because nobody helped us. We soon learned not to complain. We knew nobody would listen."

2004-1209 - Manawatu Standard - Forum offer is 'a sick joke'  The Government is cynically banking on former pyschiatric patients giving up and going away by making justice too difficult to attain, say former Lake Alice Hospital residents in Palmerston North. 2004-1208 - The Press - Abuse forum 'delay tactic'  by Kamala Hayman - A former Christchurch psychiatric patient, subjected to years of shock treatment and threatened with a lobotomy, has dismissed as a "waste of time" Government plans to hear abuse claims in a confidential forum ……………… But a former Sunnyside patient, still living in Christchurch, could not see the point of the forum nor of further counselling. 2004-1208 - Stuff - Psychiatric claimants angered by Government response  NZPA - Former psychiatric hospital patients claiming compensation for abusive treatment are angered by Government plans to set up a confidential forum instead of an inquiry, their lawyers say. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson yesterday said former psychiatric patients who claimed to have suffered abuse while in hospital would be able to talk about their experiences at a confidential forum. 2004-1208 - NZ Herald - No inquiry into alleged psych abuse  The Government has rejected calls to set up an inquiry into the allegations by hundreds of former patients that they were abused in psychiatric hospitals. Instead, it is creating a special forum to hear the stories of former patients, their families and hospital staff - forcing people who want compensation to go through the courts. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson said the forum, chaired by ombudsman and former judge Anand Satyanand, would refer people where necessary to the appropriate agencies, such as ACC, the Health and Disability Commissioner or the police. It could also refer people for state-paid counselling.  2004-1208 - Dominion Post - Mental patient abuse inquiry turned down  by Fran Tyler - Former psychiatric patients who say they were abused by hospital staff are angry at the Government's refusal to hold a public inquiry. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson yesterday announced plans to instead establish a non-public forum to allow former patients, their families and hospital staff an avenue to air their complaints and stories.  2004-1207 - One News - No inquiry over abuse claims  Former psychiatric patients who claim they have suffered abuse will be given an opportunity to tell their stories at a confidential forum. The government is setting up the forum so former patients, their families and former staff can gain acknowledgement of their experiences. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson says they looked carefully at holding an inquiry, but many former psychiatric patients wanted a way to talk about their stories.  2004-1207 - One News - Anger over forum for psych patients  A group representing former mental health service users is outraged that the government is setting up a confidential forum to hear their claims of abuse. About 300 former patients have made complaints about their treatment at mental hospitals across New Zealand when most were aged between eight and 16. They have alleged beatings and sexual abuse by staff and other patients, excessive use of electro-shock treatment and drugs and solitary confinement. 2004-1207 - NZ Government - New forum for psychiatric patients  Press Release by Margaret Wilson - The government will establish a forum for former psychiatric patients who claim to have suffered abuse while in hospital, Attorney-General Margaret Wilson announced today. The Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals will invite former patients, their families and hospital staff members to tell the stories of their experiences in psychiatric institutions. "The forum is designed to give former patients a chance to talk about their experiences in a non-critical and confidential environment," Margaret Wilson said. 2004-1207 - Newstalk ZB - Forum for former psychiatric patients A new forum is being set up for former psychiatric patients who claim to have been abused while in institutions. Former patients, their families and hospital staff will be able to talk openly of their experiences. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson says it will be a confidential and non-critical forum, chaired by an Ombudsman and administered by the Internal Affairs Department and Health Ministry.  2004-1207 - Newstalk ZB - Compensation kept separate from abuse claims The Attorney-General says compensation issues must be kept separate from a new forum for psychiatric patients who claim they were abused. The Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals, run by the Health Ministry and Internal Affairs, will provide a way for former psychiatric patients to formally register their claims. It will invite former patients, their families and hospital staff members to tell of their experiences.  2004-1113 - NZ Herald - Return to horror hospital  For Hake Halo, Lake Alice Hospital was a place of terror which overshadowed the rest of his life. Now just a collection of run-down rural buildings with cows munching grass outside, in the 1970s it was the place where the then teenaged Hake says he was punished with electric shocks and painful injections by nurses and doctors trying to alter youngsters' behaviour.  2004-1013 - The Press - A measured approach  An almost audible sigh can be heard from New Zealanders as they contemplate yet another labyrinthine case of institutional abuse and the liturgy of apologies and compensation that will inevitably go with it. After the St John of God, Porirua Mental Hospital, Nazareth House, Salvation Army and prison solitary confinement affairs, and others, we could do without the deep flesh wound that is beginning to suppurate at Waiouru 2004-1011 - Dominion Post - Alleged victims of abuse accuse Government of bias  by Fran Tyler - Former psychiatric patients and social welfare children taking cases against the Crown over alleged abuse have accused the Government of discrimination. When news broke of allegations by army cadets that they suffered abuse between the 1950s and 1980s, Defence Minister Mark Burton immediately promised an independent investigation, one of the groups' lawyers, Sonja Cooper, said. 2004-1000 - MAF - Former Patient Abuse Claims Rising The number of claims alleging abuse and mistreatment at psychiatric hospitals during the 1960s and 1970s is continuing to climb. The Crown Law Office says there are now 77 individual claims from former patients, many of them relating to Porirua Hospital 2004-0927 - The Press - Group raises profile of psychiatric abuse  by Amanda Warren - A group seeking redress for alleged abuse in psychiatric hospitals hopes huge public response will bolster its calls for Government action. Helen Gilbert, a spokeswoman for psychiatric survivor groups, said calls had been flowing in to groups around the country following the coalition's July call for a new method of compensation.  2004-0927 - Coalition Abuse Victims - Calls for psychiatric redress gain momentum  Calls have been flowing into psych survivor groups around the country from people seeking redress over historic abuse received in New Zealand mental institutions. Spokesperson for the coalition of groups Helen Gilbert says that since the groups first called for the Government to set-up a redress process in July there has been a steady stream of phone calls to consumer groups around the country from vulnerable people wanting to tell their stories. 2004-0920 - NZ Herald - 300 ex-patients claim abuse  People continue to come forward alleging abuse and mistreatment by psychiatric hospital staff at Porirua and other hospitals. Wellington lawyer Roger Chapman, with lawyer Sonja Cooper, is spearheading action against the Crown on behalf of those claiming physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0920 - Dominion Post - More claims of psych hospital abuse  by Haydon Dewes - More people continue to come forward to allege abuse and mistreatment at the hands of psychiatric hospital staff at Porirua and other hospitals. More than 300 people had come forward and that number was climbing, said Wellington lawyer Roger Chapman, who with lawyer Sonja Cooper is spearheading action against the Crown on behalf of those claiming physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hospitals in the 1960s and 70s. 2004-0919 - One News - Hospital abuse claims rise The number of claims alleging abuse and mistreatment at psychiatric hospitals during the 1960s and 70s is continuing to climb, as more former patients come forward. The Crown Law Office says there are now 77 individual claims from former patients - many of them relating to Porirua Hospital. 2004-0802 - Stuff - Govt seeks ways for abused patients to avoid court cases  NZPA - Attorney-General Margaret Wilson says she is exploring ways for former psychiatric patients to avoid court cases if they want to when they seek compensation for their abuse claims. The historic allegations surfaced earlier this year and cover claims of widespread mistreatment at most of New Zealand's mental hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s. Ms Wilson said yesterday that so far 68 individual claims had been filed in the High Court and she understood more than 300 people had not yet filed. 2004-0802 - NZ Herald - Psychiatric patients offered deal over abuse claims Attorney-General Margaret Wilson has indicated to former psychiatric patients with abuse claims that she is willing to consider negotiated settlements if they want to avoid going through the courts. The claims in question largely relate to those from former Porirua Hospital patients. 2004-0802 - NZ Herald - Police told to hurry up on investigation into psychiatrist  by Martin Johnston - The police are taking too long to investigate criminal complaints against psychiatrist Selwyn Leeks, say supporters of patients behind the claims. On Saturday, the Weekend Herald revealed that the Government had paid a further $4.2 million in compensation to former psychiatric patients at Lake Alice Hospital, in addition to the $6.5 million paid to 95 others in 2001. 2004-0802 - Dominion Post - Psych survivors unite in compo fight  Psychiatric survivor groups are banding together in their fight for compensation for the institutional torture and abuse they suffered at the hands of the state. Human rights advocate Helen Gilbert said thousands of people had experienced abuse and torture at the hands of the state, ranging from electric shock treatment, medication and seclusion as punishment to unnecessary long-term incarceration. 2004-0731 - One News - Fomer patients want redress Former mental health patients are calling for the Government to set up a national process to deal with historic claims of abuse at psychiatric intitutions. The Psych Survivors Redress Coalition, which represents patient groups across the country, is making the call following recent reports of abuse of patients at Porirua hospital. 2004-0731 - NZ Herald - Former Lake Alice patients win $4.2m payout  by Martin Johnston - The Government has paid a second wave of former psychiatric patients about $47,000 each, on average, in compensation for abuse they suffered at Lake Alice Hospital. The 88 who received the $4.2 million were patients of the hospital's notorious child and adolescent unit, run by psychiatrist Selwyn Leeks. 2004-0729 - NZ Herald - Compensation claim lawyers to meet  By Martin Johnston - Action to settle former mental hospital patients' compensation claims against the Crown for alleged abuse may be about to begin. Crown Law (the Government's lawyers) has arranged to meet lawyers acting for more than 200 former patients. 2004-0715 - The Press - Ex-Porirua Hospital worker speaks out  by Fran Tyler - Publicity over abuse at Porirua and other psychiatric hospitals has led to the number of claimants rising to more than 300 since legal action was first revealed two years ago. Wellington lawyer Sonja Cooper, one of those spearheading the joint action against the Crown, says of those at least 200 are claiming physical, emotional or sexual abuse at Porirua during the 1960s and 1970s. So far 65 claims have been filed in the High Court. 2004-0715 - Dominion Post - Abuse claims by patients reach 300  By Fran Tyler - Publicity over abuse at Porirua and other psychiatric hospitals has led to the number of claimants rising to more than 300 since legal action was first revealed by The Dominion Post two years ago. Wellington lawyer Sonja Cooper, one of those spearheading the joint action against the Crown, says that of those at least 200 are claiming physical, emotional or sexual abuse at Porirua during the 1960s and 70s. 2004-0710 - NZ Herald - Patients lived in fear of 'The Treatment'  by Phil Taylor - Brutal treatment of patients was the culture of the Porirua Mental Hospital in the 1960s, four former workers have said. The four women told the Weekend Herald that electric shock treatment was routinely used as punishment and patients were drugged into zombie-like states to make them more manageable. The women - students at the time - said part of their duties was to hold patients down while shock treatment was applied. 2004-0703 - Nelson Mail - Patient abuse claims on rise  by Sheriee Smith - Complaints of serious mistreatment of patients at Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital are mounting. Since the Government announced last month it was looking at more than 200 complaints of abuse at psychiatric hospitals around New Zealand, nine former patients at Nelson's Ngawhatu Hospital have lodged claims with Wellington lawyer Roger Chapman. 2005-1107 - ODT - Perils of unproven allegations by Lynley Hood - News that police have found no evidence of criminal offending by Dr Selwyn Leeks, former head of the adolescent unit at Lake Alice Hospital, has been greeted with dismay by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. ……Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), it should be noted, is a subsidiary of the virulently anti-psychiatry Church of Scientology. It has no connection with the Human Rights Commission, which is a government agency. 2005-1028 - NZ Lawyer - Reliable evidence and due process by Lynley Hood - News that the police have found no evidence of criminal offending by psychiatrist Dr Selwyn Leeks, former head of the child and adolescent unit at Lake Alice Hospital, has been greeted with dismay by the psychiatric patient advocacy group, Citizen's Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)……………. The most significant recent development in almost 30 years of allegations of abuse at the Lake Alice child and adolescent unit is the 2001 report of retired High Court Judge Sir Rodney Gallen. After reviewing a clutch of allegations, Gallen advised government, "I am satisfied that in the main the allegations which have been made are true and reveal an appalling situation... The best summary I can make is that the children concerned lived in a state of extreme fear and hopelessness. 2005-0922 - Dominion Post - Inquiry finds no evidence of offending by Kelly Andrew - A former Lake Alice patient is disgusted police have decided not to charge a psychiatrist accused of abusing young people there in the 1970s.  Police say they have found no evidence of criminal offending after investigating more than 20 complaints from former patients of Selwyn Leeks, who headed the child and adolescent unit of the now-closed hospital near Wanganui. 2005-0921 - NZ Herald - No proof of abuse by doctor, say police by Martin Johnston - The police say they have no evidence of criminal offending by Dr Selwyn Leeks, the psychiatrist whom former patients accuse of abusing them with electric shock therapy in the 1970s…… A police national headquarters spokeswoman said yesterday: "there is no disclosed activity or intervention with patients at Lake Alice that amounts to criminal offending on the part of Dr Selwyn Leeks. On that basis there is neither requirement nor authority to seek the extradition of Dr Leeks from Australia." 2005-0803 - NZ Herald - New probe looks into Lake Alice by Martin Johnston - An Australian medical authority has begun interviewing former Lake Alice Hospital patients, over their claims that they were mistreated under the regime of psychiatrist Dr Selwyn Leeks. The Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria is preparing for a formal hearing into the allegations against Dr Leeks, who headed the child and adolescent unit of the hospital near Wanganui. 2005-0707 - One News - Abuse claims in high court's hands The fate of hundreds of historic compensation claims by former psychiatric patients who say they were abused while institutionalised is now in the hands of the high court. The former patients want the way cleared to sue the government for mistreatment dating back several decades at Porirua Hospital. A former patient, who wants to remain anonymous, claims that he was abused at the psychiatric hospital, where he was sent by his mother when he was just 14-years-old. 2005-0411 - Newstalk ZB - New appointments to abuse forum The Internal Affairs' Minister has made two new appointments to the forum for former psychiatric patients who claim to have suffered abuse while in hospital….The new forum members are former IHC chief executive and Mental Health Commission chairwoman Jan Dowland and mental health consumer advisor Anne Helm. 2006-1026 - NZ National Party - Hodgson dodgy on Lake Alice payout by Jonathan Coleman - Continued delays in paying out compensation to Paul Zentfeld, a claimant in the Lake Alice compensation case, are completely unsatisfactory, says National's Associate Health spokesman (Mental Health), Dr Jonathan Coleman. 2006-1011 - NZ Herald - Ministry to appeal Lake Alice compensation ruling The Ministry of Health is to appeal against a court ruling that it must increase compensation to a former Lake Alice psychiatric hospital patient by more than $34,000. The ministry said yesterday that there was an error of law in the Wellington District Court ruling on the case brought by Paul Zentveld that his compensation be restored to nearly $115,000. 2006-1006 - Stuff - Date set for former psychiatric patients' action against govt NZPA - One of the lawyers representing around 350 former psychiatric patients seeking compensation from the Government says the first cases will go before the courts next year. The first two cases have been set down for October 2007. The former patients are alleging they suffered physical, sexual and mental abuse at mental institutions, while in state care. In 2001, the Government apologised and paid compensation to a group of former patients of the Lake Alice Hospital child and adolescent unit, near Marton, which closed in the late 1970s. It later extended this to a second group, bringing to $10.7 million the total paid to 183 people. The group of around 350 former patients who were cared for in other state-run institutions say they too should be paid compensation. 2006-0922 - National Business Review - PM's conduct questioned by Deborah Hill Cone - A Wellington District Court judge has exposed a secret deal in which the government took a cut of millions of dollars from compensation payments to former mental hospital patients. In a bold judgment out this week Judge Tom Broadmore has criticised what he describes as the "political" decision made at the highest levels of government to secretly take 30% of the compensation payments from victims of mistreatment at government psychiatric institution, Lake Alice, to cover non-existent "legal fees." 2006-0922 - NZ National Party - Lake Alice deal: Hodgson must explain Press release by Dr Jonathon Coleman - The Minister of Health needs to come clean and explain to the public exactly how the Government reached a decision to withhold money awarded to second-round claimants in the Lake Alice case, says National Party Associate Health spokesman responsible for mental health, Dr Jonathan Coleman. 2006-0915 - Dominion Post - Mistreated ex-patient given extra $35,000 A former Lake Alice patient, mistreated at the institution, has won a further payout of nearly $35,000 from the Health Ministry. Wellington District Court judge Tom Broadmore has ruled that Paul Zentveld should have been paid $114,912 in damages for his mistreatment at the psychiatric hospital between 1972 and 1978. Instead, he had received only $80,438 2006-0914 - Radio NZ - Lake Alice payout topped back up by court A former Lake Alice patient has won a four year battle to have his compensation paid out in full. Paul Zentveld was awarded 115-thousand dollars in compensation for the way he was treated during his stay at the psychiatric hospital near Bulls 2006-0914 - NZ National Party - Health Ministry $3 million payout bungle Press release by Dr Jonathon Coleman - National Party Associate Health spokesman Dr Jonathan Coleman says a Ministry of Health bungle could cost taxpayers more than $3 million in extra compensation payments. 2006-0913 - NZ Parliament - Questions And Answers In resonse by Pete hodgson - ......The member need only look at today's media coverage regarding the horrors of Lake Alice Hospital to know that deinstitutionalisation not only costs more but improves people's lives. 2006-0913 - NZ Herald - Lake Alice patient's payout up $34,000 by Martin Johnston - A former patient of the notorious Lake Alice psychiatric hospital near Wanganui has won an increase of more than $34,000 in his payout. Aucklander Paul Zentveld, 45, has won the top-up in a ruling in which the judge criticises the Crown's position as "Kafkaesque". 2006-0829 - NZ Herald - Psychiatrist must pay $55,000 after sex abuse case by Martin Johnston - Former New Zealand psychiatrist Dr Selwyn Leeks has been ordered to pay $55,000 in damages for sexually abusing a former patient. The payment was ordered by an Australian court which found that Dr Leeks "took advantage ... of a disturbed psychiatric patient" 2006-0828 - Waikato Times - Damages ruling heartening The Citizens Commission on Human Rights, which encouraged former Lake Alice Hospital patients to complain to police about a psychiatrist they said abused them, is heartened by an Australian court decision against him. 2006-0828 - The Press - Damages awarded An organisation encouraging former Lake Alice Hospital patients to complain to police about a psychiatrist who they say abused them is heartened by an Australian court decision against him. 2006-0828 - Manawatu Standard - Court rules against doctor An organisation encouraging former Lake Alice Hospital patients to complain to police about a psychiatrist is heartened by an Australian court decision against him. The Melbourne County Court has awarded $55,000 to a woman who said Selwyn Leeks sexually abused her as a patient in 1979 and 1980. 2006-0828 - Dominion Post - Victory in sex abuse case gives lift to group by Colin Patterson - An organisation encouraging former Lake Alice Hospital patients to complain to police about a psychiatrist they say abused them is heartened by an Australian court decision against him. The Melbourne County Court has awarded $55,000 in damages to a woman who complained Selwyn Leeks sexually abused her while she was his patient in 1979-1980. 2006-0727 - Newstalk ZB - Last forum for former patients Former patients of psychiatric hospitals have until Monday to register for the last forum to be held in Hamilton in October. The confidential forum will give patients, their family and staff the chance to share their experiences at hospitals. 2006-0726 - Manawatu Standard - Lake Alice extradition bid 'too soon' by Mervyn Dykes - Police say calls to extradite a former head of Lake Alice psychiatric hospital from Australia to face charges in New Zealand are premature. "It is far too early to talk about extradition," the officer heading the inquiry, Christchurch-based Detective Superintendent Malcolm Burgess, said yesterday. There have been calls from some former Lake Alice patients for psychiatrist Selwyn Leeks to be extradited to face charges of abusing patients at the hospital's adolescent unit, which closed in 1978. 2006-0725 - Manawatu Standard - Lake Alice patients urged to back extradition by Mervyn Dykes - Former patients of Lake Alice psychiatric hospital who suffered abuse from staff in the 1970s are being urged to join an extradition call against a former head of the unit. "We are calling one final time for the children of Lake Alice to come forward," said the chief executive of the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights, Steve Green, last night. 2006-0721 - Manawatu Standard - Lake Alice doctor quits The psychiatrist accused of mistreating young patients at Lake Alice Hospital in the 1970s has effectively handed in his medical licence in Australia, the New Zealand Herald reports today. Selwyn Leeks was today to face a disciplinary hearing, accused of unprofessional conduct, in Melbourne 2006-0721 - Stuff - Lake Alice psychiatrist hands in licence NZPA - Dr Selwyn Leeks, the psychiatrist accused of mistreating young patients at Lake Alice Hospital in Manawatu in the 1970s, has handed in his medical licence in Australia, on the eve of a disciplinary hearing against him. 2006-0721 - NZ Herald - Lake Alice doctor pre-empts tribunal Dr Selwyn Leeks, the psychiatrist accused of mistreating young patients at Lake Alice Hospital in the 1970s, has effectively handed in his medical licence, on the eve of a potentially damning disciplinary hearing. The elderly doctor, who had been practising in Melbourne, was to go before a disciplinary panel, accused of unprofessional conduct. 2006-0708 - Waikato Times - Return to Tokanui by Lester Thorley - Tokanui Hospital has not been caught up in historical complaints levelled at some of the others. In total, more than 300 former patients, from psychiatric hospitals from Auckland to Otago, have alleged abuse. The Government has paid out $10.7 million to 183 people, but has refused to hold an inquiry. It apologised and paid out $6.5 million in compensation in 2001 to 95 former Lake Alice patients over allegations of ill-treatment and sexual abuse by staff and other patients. Complaints are still being investigated at Lake Alice and Porirua. 2006-0706 - Dominion Post - Former patients fight court ruling More than 150 former mental hospital patients suing for alleged abuse and mistreatment are fighting a court ruling that severely reduces the scope of their claims. The claims, each of up to $500,000 for what happened in the 1960s and 1970s, were cut back to allegations of sex abuse, and mistreatment of informal patients before April 1972. 2006-0607 - Radio NZ - Police review file on former Lake Alice doctor The police are reviewing their file on a former head doctor at Lake Alice psychiatric hospital near Wanganui, following a fresh complaint of abuse. Last year the police closed their investigation into Dr Selwyn Leeks over complaints of abuse by former patients at the child and adolescent unit he headed between 1972 and 1977. The adolescent unit closed in 1978. 2006-0606 - One News - Lake Alice site for sale Former Mental Health Unit Lake Alice has been put up for sale by the Whanganui District Health Board. .........The former psychiatric hospital has a checkered history, after allegations by former patients that they were abused by a psychiatrist in the 1970s. 2006-0605 - Dominion Post - Mental hospital staff may face charges by Hank Schouten - The Crown Law Office is deciding whether former Porirua Hospital staff should be prosecuted over allegations of child abuse. Former patients at the now-closed mental hospital have battled for years for compensation. About 120 former patients say they were abused, beaten, raped or given electric shock treatment as punishment while kept in the hospital during the 1960s and 1970s. 2006-0604 - One News - Psychiatric hospital investigated Police have been called in to investigate the claims of 300 former patients who say they were mentally, physically and sexually abused at Porirua Psychiatric Hospital almost 40 years ago. The group has already begun a class action suit against the government, seeking an inquiry and compensation for the trauma they suffered as children of the state while at the country's largest psychiatric institution at the time 2006-0526 - Manawatu Standard - Former patient not interested by Anna Wallis - Mr McMahon was at Lake Alice from age 13 to 16. He says he was raped and tortured at the hospital, and injected with the painful drug paraldehyde and given electroconvulsive shock treatment without anaesthetic 2006-0526 - Manawatu Standard - Ex-Lake Alice boss in Oz sex inquiry by Anna Wallis - Lake Alice's former head psychiatrist, who's facing charges in Australia on the use of electric-shock treatment and pain-inducing injections on children at the hospital, has also been accused of sexual misconduct by a Melbourne patient. Selwyn Leeks, who was in charge of Lake Alice's child and adolescent unit between 1972 and 1977, is being investigated by the Victorian Medical Practioners' Board over what happened in New Zealand. 2006-0518 - Manawatu Standard - Lake Alice complex up for sale by Anna Wallis - The former Lake Alice "house of horrors" psychiatric hospital is up for sale - including a water tower and secure prison unit. 2006-0310 - NZ Lawyer - Reliable Evidence and Due Process Revisited    by Lynley Hood - Nonetheless, Mr Cameron’s comment comes as no surprise. Anyone who questions the reliability of any evidence in any child abuse case is bound to be accused, sooner or later, of “denying the reality of child abuse”. Interestingly, those who question the reliability of the evidence in murder cases are never accused of “denying the reality of murder”.   Of course murder happens. Of course child abuse happens. So why are those who raise questions about child abuse investigations being attacked in this way? Is the evidence in some cases too fragile to withstand close scrutiny? Is accusing one’s questioner of being “in denial” an attempt to shut down the debate?             Related articles:             NZ Lawyer October 25 2005; Reliable evidence and due process             NZ Lawyer January 27 2006; Reliable research and due thought? 2006-0127 - NZ Lawyer - Reliable research and due thought?       by Grant Cameron - Lynley Hood has done herself a disservice with her recent article entitled “Reliable evidence and due process” (NZ Lawyer issue 28, 28 October 2005). Her article demonstrated a serious misunderstanding of what the determination process in the Lake Alice case was all about and why, more generally, “state and church” institutions might choose to embark on alternative dispute resolution processes. However, much worse is her implication that Sir Rodney Gallen, one of the country’s most respected jurists, erred in the conclusions he expressed in his 2001 report to the Solicitor-General             Related articles:             NZ Lawyer October 25 2005; Reliable evidence and due process             NZ Lawyer March 10 2006; Reliable evidence and due process revisited 2007-0719 - Radio NZ - Former psychiatric patients granted leave to appeal over 1960s abuse 2007-0719 - Newswire - Former Psychiatric Patients May Appeal 2007-0713 - National Business Review - Mistreatment of Lake Alice patients continues 2007-0707 - Dominion Post - Forum for Reconciliation 2007-0706 - Waikato Times - Call for change 2007-0702 - Dominion Post - Patients step up pleas for government payout 2007-0630 - Timaru Herald - Mental health patients to sue Govt 2007-0630 - The Press - Former patients to sue 2007-0630 - Manawatu Standard - Record of abuse is 'words' 2007-0629 - Timaru Herald - Damning report on mental health care 2007-0629 - Three News - Advocate calls for compensation for psychiatric patients 2007-0629 - The Press - Psychiatric-care report 2007-0629 - Stuff - Compo for psychiatric patients 'a difficult issue' 2007-0629 - Southland Times - Damning report on abuse in institutions 2007-0629 - Radio NZ - More scrutiny of Mental Health sector needed - foundation 2007-0629 - Radio NZ - More counselling to be offered to former mental patients 2007-0629 - One News - Abuse won't be forgotten 2007-0629 - NZ Herald - Patients tell of neglect 2007-0629 - Newstalk ZB - Compo would be demeaning for some - Cullen 2007-0629 - Nelson Mail - Ngawhatu part of damning report 2007-0629 - National Party - Lake Alice - Do the right thing 2007-0629 - Dominion Post - 'Zombie' patients tell of cruelty 2007-0629 - Dominion Post - Testaments of hidden desperation 2007-0628 - Radio NZ - No Govt apology offered over psychiatric care report 2007-0628 - One News - Psych report reveals harrowing stories 2007-0628 - One News - Damning psychiatric findings 2007-0628 - NZ Government - Report of the Confidential Forum presented 2007-0628 - NZ Government - Former Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals - Q n A 2007-0628 - Newswire - Report into psychiatric institutions released 2007-0628 - Newstalk ZB - Psych patients share horrors 2007-0628 - Green Party - Former patients deserve an apology, compensation 2007-0627 - NZ Government - Links to Report 2007-0601 - Dominion Post - Ex-patient to get day in court, 50 years on 2007-0501 - NZ Herald - Human rights complaint over hospital assault allegations 2007-0430 - Newswire - Complaint Over Treatment Of Mental Health Patients 2007-0421 - Radio NZ - Questions over training for mental health staff 2007-0421 - Newswire - Mental Health Staff Training Questioned 2007-0420 - Radio NZ - Second case of alleged patient assault confirmed 2007-0420 - Radio NZ - Questions over adequacy of training for union staff 2007-0420 - Radio NZ - MOH won't intervene 2007-0420 - Radio NZ - Earlier case of assault at Porirua with police 2007-0420 - One News - Health unit involved in assault scandal 2007-0420 - NZ Police - Police Investigating Alleged Assault At Haumietiketike 2007-0420 - Newswire - Police investigate assault on mental health patient 2007-0420 - Newstalk ZB - Incident investigated at mental health unit 2007-0420 - Dominion Post - Staff sacked after 'assaults' on patients 2007-0419 - Radio NZ - Mental health worker accused of assaulting patient 2007-0419 - Radio NZ - Lawyer concerned about double standards 2007-0419 - Newstalk ZB - Porirua mental health worker suspended