An 89-year-old has been charged with wilful ill treatment of a child following police's conclusion into an investigation into allegations involving Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital in the 1970s.
The long-standing allegations into ill-treatment involving children and young people included interviews with former staff of the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit, 63 former patients, and over 46,000 pages of documentary evidence.
The 89-year-old, who is a former staff member of Lake Alice, is expected to appear in the Whanganui District Court on December 14.
Police also found sufficient evidence to charge two other former staff members with wilful ill-treatment of a child. However, both those individuals - including 92-year-old former child psychiatrist Selwyn Leeks - are now medically unfit to stand trial.
Police note that this doesn't mean Leeks is guilty of the alleged offence - saying he cannot be charged as he is unable to defend himself in court.
Detective Superintendent Tom Fitzgerald says the conclusion of the investigation was an important milestone for complainants.
"Police acknowledges the enormous impact these events have had on the lives of those former patients who were children and young people at Lake Alice in the 1970s, and the frustration of those who have been waiting for us to complete this investigation," he says
"This operation involved unprecedented mass allegations, with complex legal arguments and expert medical evidence, so it was vital that we undertook a methodical and meticulous approach with thorough consideration of culpability."
Police have individually updated all former patients who have engaged with the investigation since it began in February 2020, he adds.
Lake Alice abuse survivor Paul Zentveld says this day is particularly special.
"When I left Lake Alice, I promised myself, I'm going to get these bastards back and today is the reckoning day," he tells Newshub.
Zentveld was given shock treatment by Leeks as punishment for wetting the bed as a 14-year-old.
"Today, we kicked ass. Thank you Police, and about time you've done your job properly," he says.
Complaints of abuse at Lake Alice have been poorly handled for decades. In June, police apologised for a previous failed investigation where they lost statements of victims and didn't commit enough resources to their inquiries.
Mike Ferriss, from the Citizen Commission on Human Rights, supported Zentveld to take a complaint to the UN Convention Against Torture, which was upheld. He says the conclusion of the police investigation is significant.
"It is momentous, no question about it. It vindicates everything that the survivors had been saying," he says.
Another Lake Alice victim, Hake Halo, vividly remembers writing a hidden message in Niuean to his mum in 1975.
It said: "I have had shock treatment mum, it's very painful". He says it should not have taken this long for police to act.
"I am angry about it to be honest to you. I'm angry about it. Why take so long?"
He was abused as a 13-year-old. He's now 59 and thinks his perpetrators should have been brought to justice years ago.
The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry said it knew the fact Leeks would not be charged would disappoint victims and cause them distress.
"This has not and will not deter the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry from making adverse findings about Dr Leeks, about survivors’ allegations against him," Royal Commission Judge Coral Shaw says.
She says the Commission would also make findings about how allegations were dealt with by authorities, including the New Zealand Police.
The Commission's full report into Lake Alice will be released next year.
