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According to Dr Zelis, the complainants in this case were credible and their behaviour was consistent with having been sexually abused.

Under cross-examination, Rob Harrison asked Dr Zelis about a television interview she'd done about the case a year earlier, in which she'd been asked if there was a danger parents might start imagining behavioural changes in their child after fear of sexual abuse spread.

Dr Zelis had answered, Yes, there is.

Questioned in the courtroom, she claimed not to remember this interview.

To counter Dr Zelis, the defence called Australian psychiatrist Keith LaPage, who said the behavioural changes described weren't exclusive to suffering sexual abuse and could be all part of normal child development.

Some of Peter's former colleagues testified for the defence, as did seven Kreisch parents who still supported him.

Moore had wanted to but felt unable to do so given the heated nature of the case.

Some had felt pressure from their community to have their children interviewed and later regretted giving in, feeling that the interviews themselves were the only trauma their children experienced related to the creche.

Peter Ellis also sat in the witness box to answer the charges laid against him.

He spoke at length about his work at the creche and the children there.

Under an extensive cross-examination, the Crown attacked his credibility by pointing out apparent inconsistencies in his testimony and drew the jury's attention to opportunities he'd had to be alone with children.

They queried Peter about conversations he'd had with colleagues relating to sexual matters, such as him once telling Janice Buckingham that he used a Polaroid camera to make pornography.

Peter Ellis explained that he liked to have people on and would bait them with provocative claims.

His defence barrister pointed out that not one of the children in the case had made a spontaneous disclosure of abuse.

They had only said they were abused after repeated questioning by authority figures.

Nor had any parents noticed any signs of trauma or evidence of abuse such as blood or injuries.

The jury retired to consider their verdict on Thursday June 3 and spent almost three days deliberating.

They returned with the decision at 3.30pm on Saturday June 5.

They had found Peter Ellis guilty on 16 out of 25 counts and accepted that he had sexually abused seven children, including those known by the pseudonyms of Zelda Cypress and Bart Dogwood.

This abuse was sometimes committed in the presence of others at locations outside of the creche, and Peter had also provided children for abuse by others.