Medical Council apologises to Lake Alice survivors after Abuse in Care findings

The royal commission found torture was inflicted on children at the Lake Alice psychiatric hospital near Marton in the 1970s.

By RNZ

The Medical Council of New Zealand has apologised to survivors of Lake Alice after the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care released its findings.

The inquiry released its 3000-page final report on Wednesday afternoon that found at least 200,000 people have been abused by state and faith-based institutions since 1950.

The royal commission found torture was inflicted on children at the Lake Alice psychiatric hospital near Marton in the 1970s under the watch of its lead psychiatrist, Dr Selwyn Leeks.

On Thursday, the Medical Council of New Zealand fully accepted the findings of the report, with council chairwoman Dr Rachelle Love apologising on behalf of it.

“Survivors of Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit were failed by the Medical Council, and we are deeply and unreservedly sorry for this failure and the intergenerational consequences our actions have caused.”

Love said the medical regulator did not hold Leeks to account for the torture and abuse that he inflicted.

“Not only did we fail to hold Dr Leeks to account, we also prioritised the doctor’s perspective over that of the patient and neglected to maintain proper records of information.

“We were also wrong to say that we could not legally investigate Dr Leeks in the 1990s. We could, and should, have done so at the time.”

She said when Leeks left New Zealand they issued him with a certificate of good standing.

Love said they allowed harm to continue when the council became aware of the royal commission’s inquiry in 2021, and failed to come forward with a sufficient apology and to make amends.

“We are deeply sorry.”

– RNZ