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The case was still sending fear through the community in 1991, prompting 60 Minutes to cover the story in September of that year.

Journalist Melanie Reid spoke to various experts who assured her there was a serious problem, though they were unable to provide evidence of the pedophile ring in question.

The episode added to the climate of fear that had parents convinced that there was a well-organised, well-hidden group of child molesters operating with impunity throughout their city.

Less than three months later, the Christchurch Civic Kreisch would be investigated for crimes that sounded a lot like these.

The subject of ritual abuse was one that a number of parents in the Civic Kreisch case were familiar with.

Quite a few of the complainant parents worked in child abuse-related professions such as social work, therapy and counselling.

Of the seven complainants whose evidence resulted in convictions, three had one or more parents who worked in those fields.

In a climate of heightened awareness, parents with these backgrounds may have been more inclined to interpret certain child behaviours through an abuse lens.

Moreover, in these circles, there was the possibility of a professional consensus developing that abuse was definitely happening.

Ms Magnolia, the mother who initially alleged that Peter Ellis had molested her son Jeffrey, was seen by some to have a fixation with sexual abuse.

She had recovered memories of her own childhood abuse and went on to write a pamphlet that warned about the epidemic of child abuse.

Because Jeffrey never made any allegations of abuse by Peter to the police, he wasn't one of the complainants at Peter's trial.

But his mother had made sure to get Jeffrey far away from Peter and the other Kreisch employees, withdrawing him from the Christchurch Civic Kreisch at the end of 1991.

She subsequently enrolled Jeffrey at another creche, with workers there noting Ms Magnolia's extreme fear and paranoia.

She would ask the childcare workers there not to let Jeffrey play near the fence, because there's a pedophile ring and they're out to get us.

The employees took her concerns seriously, listening to her and reassuring her.

But then, in September 1992, she accused a male worker of sexually abusing Jeffrey.

This complaint was handled very differently to the Christchurch Civic Kreisch case, with detectives and Kreisch administrators keeping the matter tightly under wraps while it was investigated.

There were no public meetings or calls from Ms Magnolia to other parents.

After detectives looked into the case, they found no evidence to support the complaint and it was dropped.