Some well-researched articles with a lot of background on the Jersey abuse scandal.
Cathy Scott-Clark Guardian 14 March
Eileen Fairweather Mail on Sunday 18 April
David James Smith Sunday Times 10 May
There is also an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons relating to the politicised police harassment of Jersey's leading dissident, Senator Stuart Syvret. It may sound like I am talking about Burma, China or Zimbabwe here. I make no apologies: I honestly don't think the comparison is too far fetched. The motion has been proposed by Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming. At the time of writing it has picked up 19 signatories, despite MPs' preoccupation with other matters; and the list includes Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative MPs.
Showing posts with label Stuart Syvret. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stuart Syvret. Show all posts
Monday, 11 May 2009
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Compassion and Hope for Jersey Victims
I have extracted a sequence of related postings from Jersey Senator Stuart Syvret's blog which occurred over the 16th and 17th of January. Rather than just copy and paste, I have edited out those postings that seemed to be heading off in other directions (as blogs will do) in order to leave what I hope is a coherent thread. Many of the contributions are submitted anonymously. I have identified these contributors as Anonymous(1), Anonymous(2) etc. and have used this device to indicate where follow-up postings seem to have been made by an earlier anonymous contributor, though obviously I may have missed other instances. Oh, and I admit to correcting a few spelling errors because, well just because - it's something I do.
It starts with a desperately sad account from someone living in France.
This sums up very well, I think, the power for good that this kind of online fellowship can be. My thought go out to `My Life in France' and I very much hope he is beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel, through the support that has been forthcoming as a result of his contact with the blog.
It starts with a desperately sad account from someone living in France.
-
A lesson too late for the learning (for me anyway)
Well here I am, in France and now very isolated. Many months ago, after much soul searching and advice given by my wife and GP , and against my better judgment I was persuaded to talk to the States of Jersey police who visited me here in France, with regard to my experiences whilst resident at Haut de la Garenne.
I had never, ever confided in anyone (not even my wife) before, and looking back now, as my family life lay in ruins around me, I wish it had stayed that way.
After the initial robust support I received from my soon to be ex-wife, I find myself once again alone, and locked into a time warp which like a fool and against all of my natural instincts I had re-opened the portal to.
An entrance way to an evil, hard and cruel world which had remained firmly closed and sealed for near on forty years.
As I write this, and, as I have done many times over the passing decades, I wish that my life experiences had been different.
When I was a child and I looked at my friends who all seemed to have normal, loving, and caring childhoods , I often wished that I could be them.
Just once, I used to think to myself. Just so I knew what it was like to wake up in a warm, clean, safe and loving environment where there were no bogymen.
An environment which in my very late life as a parent, I have tried so very hard to provide for my still so very young little girls.
However, you know the old saying about history repeating itself? Well, in my case it’s true. Having suffered the heart-break of a child who witnessed my father disappear through the front door with suitcase in hand.
I now find it’s my turn to leave. The stress that reliving my childhood experiences has put on me personally as an adult, can only be known by those who have suffered the deprivations and poverty that the Jersey system has encouraged century after century.
Up until recently, I personally believe that I had put my childhood nightmare world, of poverty, deprivation and abuse behind me. In fact, I know I had.
That is until I let others in. Others, who although well intentioned, had little or no idea as to the power of gene they were resurrecting from the dead.
Finding myself abandoned by those whom I thought cared, and for the health of my children, like my father before me, I am now packing my bags to leave. I love my little girls with all my heart, but have been left in little doubt to me that there is no longer room for me at this particular inn.
I wish that I had kept my dark and sinister secrets safely locked away. I believe, that had I not been so honest and frank about my childhood that, the personal catastrophe that I am now experiencing, and the hurt and the pain the my little girls will soon experience would have been avoided.
Perhaps there are those who should think very carefully before they start looking for the key to open the door - a door which may be better left firmly locked. -
Your Life in France.
I found your story very moving.
My e-mail address is lower down. I think you should e-mail me so I can see if there is anything I can do to help.
Your life - which you had thought 'fixed' - has remained broken - or been broken - by having to revisit these terrible issues.
Tragedy upon tragedy.
Your story illustrates just how the consequences of child abuses do ruin so many lives.
Just how terribly damaging and difficult it is to overcome.
Which is why we must fight abuse - and speak out against it.
I know that must seem of very little comfort to you in your circumstances.
But I believe you did the right thing for the cause of fighting, exposing and attempting to prevent child abuse.
I know a number of survivors who, at times, have questioned whether they did the right thing by opening up to the police - especially after many complaints made in the past simply being ignored.
But the great majority of those I know ultimately decided that speaking out was/is the right thing to do.
Though having said that - I couldn't begin to describe the despair and devastation experienced by many survivors who - this time - finally - believed they were going to get justice - only to see the Jersey establishment attempt to character-assassinate the only two leaders the Jersey cops have ever had who took the abuse issues seriously.
This coupled with the obstructions to charging and prosecution we see by Bill Bailhache has also been very difficult to endure.
But - do not think for one instant that the war is lost.
It isn't. We're confident the court in London will ultimately decide that Mr. Straw has to look at the plain malfeasances of the administration of justice in Jersey.
But - for you personally - you sound as though you need support at this difficult time. Are friends and family helping you?
Would it help to speak with Ray of the NSPCC, who has been based in Jersey for the duration?
My e-mail address is:
st.syvret@gov.je
Please e-mail me directly - and I'll see if there is anything I can do to help.
Be strong.
Stuart. -
Dear `My Life in France',
I really felt for you as I read your post. I was in a similar situation with my fiancee, recently.
When the Haut de la Garenne story first broke, it opened up everything inside me once more - although I was one of the Staffordshire Pindown children, not Jersey. My friends and fiancee saw me fall apart - I was also being dragged through the secret family courts, it was a terrible time. I thought that my relationship would be smashed up - it seemed like it would not survive - I made my fiancee cry because of all the hurtful things that I said to him - the poor man, the only person I felt that I could safely shout at was him, and so I did, and cried and made his life like hell for a while. All that anger and hurt had to come out somewhere, and my lovely man took the full force of it. One day, I realised that we were breaking up - he just couldn't take any more of it, it was making him ill, and so I prayed, I lay on the floor and asked God to help me. And I decided there and then that we were NOT going to break up, they were NOT going to smash me up any more, and God would NOT allow me to be hurt any more.
I don't know if me writing this will help you at all, I really wish I could say something, but I will say this : I thought that my fiancee was thinking things about me that were not true - I thought that he would be better off without me, but that is not true, I had somehow convinced myself that he did not love me any more, and that certainly was not true. We had a long talk - a quiet talk, with no crying or shouting, about these things, and then we asked God to keep us safe. I was so wrong about my fiancee's feelings, he does love me, very much, but in all the shouting and crying how could he express it? How could I know what he was feeling?
In my experience, women don't fall out of love so very easily as you might think, especially if there are children to remind you of the man you once loved. I know a lot of women, and we are not as fickle as men might think we are. A person might mistakenly think that love has died, when all that has really happened is that love is hidden behind a dark cloud. I don't know if this is any help, please ignore it if it isn't.
Zoompad -
Life In France
I too had a difficult childhood and can totally empathise with you in wishing for what other children appeared to have,,,,but I didn't,,,,,,,,,,,in adulthood my husband left my and our child....and I felt totally alone and worthless once more...an only child myself I had no one to turn to..........I have put it all in a box in my mind now and I don't talk about it, my story is tragic but I survived it all.
What got me through the tough times of reflection was actually talking about it with friends and acquaintances - and I can tell you that it is crucial that you do that - so take any help in that area that you can get ...you may be surprised how much strength you will get from that and then you too may be able to put the past back in the box.
You were brave to open up and by doing so you have helped others, do not be too hard on yourself. Good luck. -
Life in France
Leaving your little girls is not the answer for you or for them because how ever hard you try you can't leave your troubles behind - they travel with you.
When the news broke last February, I agonised for months before coming forward and would have had a total breakdown if I had not found a wonderful counsellor who has helped and supported me through this. I agree with Stuart that you need someone who is trained and experienced in this area to talk to. If you go on the BACP website you may find details of English counsellors living in France.
Like you I had lived with my memories of HDLG for over 40 years and none of my family were aware that I had been in there as none of them lived in Jersey and my mother had cleared off after leaving me there and she died over 20 years ago. Since I made my statement I have gradually managed to tell my family and my friends and the support I have received has been amazing. My partner and my grown-up children have been distressed to know what I experienced but it has made us closer than we have ever been.
I do not regret coming forward although I am angry and frustrated by the delays. coverups and distortions of the truth that have followed.
One thing I do know is that whether children died or not in HDLG, there was savage physical abuse that I witnessed; emotional abuse that damaged my self-esteem and that of countless children and sexual abuse that cannot be denied. I wonder how some people can live with themselves and some must be spinning in their graves!
There is lots of support for you here and although I stay anonymous to protect myself and those I love, I would willingly communicate with you by email through Stuart if you wish.
This is definitely not over and I really hope we will all meet up for a big party when justice is finally done!
Proud survivor -
Zoompad & anon. You both talk a lot of sense! Thank you
From France -
Life in France
I dont often comment on here but my heart goes out to you fella - youve been let down badly twice by Jersey and I hope some of the spineless bastards who continue to cover up this child abuse will one day be exposed...but lets not hold our breath eh?.
Please dont blame your coppers because the lower ranks can only do so much mate,especially since your AG is doing such a good job(if you catch my meaning!)-the whole establishment here is tainted and I sometimes wonder how far up the rot actually goes?
You are not alone in having your life shattered yet again by the "Jersey system"-believe me!.
Ah well-time for an exit back to my housing estate "oop north"-the air around here is a little ripe for me!..Good luck to you fella.
J'ai espoir mieux avoir!. -
It's a shame nobody is commenting on who is responsible for unearthing those of us who kept it closed up and were forced to release the demons to satisfy their politcal agenda.
Spinless eh? -
Re: Life in France
You have more support than you yet know. When Lenny Harper left, many of us predicted the officials would succeed in covering up all he had brought to light.
But, just look at the numbers on this blog. Stuart has about 100,000 new individuals who have read it, and many of us follow the blog regularly. Lenny continues to support the Jersey victims and refuses to be silenced. Stuart never backs down in his defense of justice and truth for victims.
Truth just has a way of pushing its way out past the frantic spin of the Warcup handlers and house rag. Now books are already being published with stories of survivors of HDLG. More will be written, and officials will be named.
You will not be alone in this. -
Senator,
Just wanted to send you warm wishes and congratulations from USA readers who support your efforts on behalf of abused children. Your blog has become truly global and will continue to grow in influence, as it should.
- Newfan -
Unearthing the Past
I’m very sorry you feel that way. I know such things are immensely difficult – I’ve come to know many survivors.
But nearly all of those I know feel they have done the right thing.
For some – confronting the past and opening up has been a deeply debilitating experience – for all kinds of reasons – but most people tell me they have found new strength and purpose in fighting this evil.
All any of us can do – is to do what we think is right under the circumstances. And I have had no doubt that fighting this battle was the right thing for me to do.
At risk of repetition, as I’ve explained the chronology of events many times before – it was not me who chose to make this whole episode a “political” issue.
As the rock-solid evidence shows – as the chronology demonstrates – it was Frank Walker and the rest of his Council of Ministers who chose to use the child protection failures in order to further their “political agenda” against me – back in the summer of 2007 – when they thought they could carry on the concealing once they’d got rid of me.
And the issues I discovered initially didn’t relate to HDLG – but far more recent – indeed, contemporary - failures. The HDLG investigation was a police exercise.
I respect your opinion – but have to disagree with it – not least because many other survivors tell me they’re relived the subject is finally being confronted, and hope that children will be better protected in future.
I share their views – and if that be a “political agenda” – so be it.
Stuart. Need I say more?
-
People can run but they can't hide. The truth will come out eventually and those responsible will become known. Just as with the Occupation the truth will come
out eventually. Let us hope that justice is done before it is too late for those affected. -
"It's a shame nobody is commenting on who is responsible for unearthing those of us who kept it closed up and were forced to release the demons to satisfy their politcal agenda.
Spinless eh?"
Jerseys welfare policies are flawed and continue a long tradition of the "Jersey way" being preferred over U.K. practices.
If the Greenfields and HDLG abuses had not come to light they would have been repeated for decades in various forms.
Playing down the abusive practices for "the good of the island" allowed the abusers free rein and immunity.
So please, no more of this "you're only hurting people" bullshit.
Changes are happening as we speak and children in the States care are safer than they have been for decades thanks to Stuart and Lenny Harpers efforts. -
100,000 achieveat 21 43
-
In the end honesty is the best policy
-
100,000 + of you.
What can I say?
Thanks, really, for taking an interest.
Supporting the child protection campaign.
And providing what has frequently been a great source of support to me - during what has, at times, been a cold, hard battle.
I missed the actual counter click - but hell - I was watching Miles Davis on YouTube - playing the song 'Time After Time' - live.
Just sublime. Check it out.
Thanks
Stuart -
Yes you are right - confronting the past CAN work for some people, however the professional advice is that it's often not a good idea.
The point I was making is that this has FORCED the issue for many people (as evidence by your poster from France) and THAT IS very damaging and is destroying families who were coping.
Yes, facing it is necessary for some - the CHOICE would be nice. -
"The point I was making is that this has FORCED the issue for many people (as evidence by your poster from France) and THAT IS very damaging and is destroying families who were coping.
Yes, facing it is necessary for some - the CHOICE would be nice."
Do you HONESTLY believe keeping a lid on things would be better?
By confronting the abusive behaviours and institutions children now and in the future are being saved from mistreatment and suffering.
No one else will need to have to make a choice because the abusers will be stopped.
Or maybe murders shouldn't be investigated so the bereaved families wont be distressed. -
Unearthing the past
I was not suggesting that the issues should not gave been unearthed. I was saying the manner in which it was done, with all the attendant politics and media spin, has made it impossible for people who wanted to keep the past where it belonged for them. -
Sadist abusers (they are sadist however you look at it) prefer their crimes (and they are crimes) to be kept secret and will seek out environments and others that allow them to practice their sadist tendancies.
They must be brought to account for their crimes against humanity otherwise it is sending out the message that any and every depraved act goes - as long as you have the right people protecting you.
Many people simply do not want to beleive that these acts of depravity occur and will simply bury their heads in the sand rather than to have to accept the full and horrific implications that some 'humans' are beyond comprehension. -
"people who wanted to keep the past where it belonged for them."
If you try to deny or ignore painful abuse in the past it has a funny habit of coming back and biting you in the bottom when you least expect it! It could be the sight of a building,the smell of a type of floor polish, the sound of footsteps in a corridor or the feeling of being locked in a room.
Flashbacks can be visual, auditory or sensory and for some they don't go away until you have told your story to someome who really listens to you and affirms your pain. -
My life in France said
I’d just like to thank all of you that have written so many kind words to me.
You have all shown through your kindness to me, that the world could be such a very different place if we just all reached out to those in need.
Yesterday, when I posted `my life in France’ I was feeling pretty low. Today, although still very much alone, sad, and coming to terms with what looks like the inevitable as far as my personal life is concerned. I still see a glimmer of light in the darkness that surrounds me.
This light is kindled, by those of you who have held out a hand of friendship, kindness and understanding to a complete stranger. And what’s more, a stranger in need.
Yesterday, after posting on Stuarts blog, I received a telephone call from a very understanding lady at the States of Jersey Police. Who, offered all of the help that is at the disposal of the SoJP.
Similarly, Stuart has been in contact, again offering me all the support and help that he can muster.
If I had not realized it before, I certainly do now. That is, through the kindness and fellowship that you all have shown to me, the world could be such a very different world if we just held out our hands to someone in need.
Like many of you, I have young children, two beautiful little girls. I, am in my early fifties and, at times am very frightened for them.
I’m frightened because of the world we live in, a world which has made men like Stuart, Lenny and many others who contribute to this blog, indispensable in the fight against the darkness which is waiting around every unlit corner for the unwary innocents to step into.
I know now, that perhaps there is more hope for us then I had realized before. Yesterday proved to me that total strangers, regardless of race, religion or gender can embrace a fellow human being who is in need.
It demonstrates not only regarding my fears for my own little girls, but with regard to all of those who are in pain and all of those who have experiences abuse and injustice, that there are some very extraordinary human beings who without being asked will take your hand in kindness.
Thank you for being there. - *****************************************************************************
This sums up very well, I think, the power for good that this kind of online fellowship can be. My thought go out to `My Life in France' and I very much hope he is beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel, through the support that has been forthcoming as a result of his contact with the blog.
Friday, 2 January 2009
New Year Message to Senator Stuart Syvret
Happy New Year Stuart
I have been following your blog closely and have posted occasional comments since the middle of last year.
I discovered your blog in a roundabout way. Although I never knew him, I came to know a little about the late Dereck Carter - former Tourism Minister on Jersey - through contacts in France, and was impressed by what I heard about his reforming and principled approach to politics. Then I discovered the tribute to Dereck on `Is This Jersey?', written by Greg Matthews, in which he described Dereck as having "more principle in his little finger than the whole gang of talentless amateurs and lowlife gangsters who ran the States when he was active and still run the States now".
This further intrigued me, and as the Haut de la Garenne investigation became an ever higher profile story in the national media, I began to wonder whether in some way there might be a connection between an apparent history of child abuse on the island stretching back decades and a tradition of government by a largely unaccountable and possibly corrupt establishment clique. Having made that tentative connection, it was not long before I found the blog of Senator Stuart Syvret!
Not only was I astonished by the forthrightness of what I read, and by your honesty, persistence, compassion, courage and high principles, I also soon realised there were other powerful voices such as Voiceforchildren, Linda Corby and Simon Bellwood, using blogs as a means of political expression in Jersey. I have searched for a similar online community in my native Scotland, and despite it being a time of great constitutional and financial uncertainty here, have found nothing similar. So I concluded that there must be something special - indeed unique - about the situation in Jersey, and over the months you have obliged by demonstrating in forensic detail just what this is.
As an outsider, some would say I have no business even taking a distant interest in the private tribulations of a small rich island. Here is my justification: you are absolutely right to say that highly paid public servants with a responsibility for child protection must discharge their duties, but in normal modern democracies this duty of care is the explicit responsibility of EVERY adult. As global citizens this translates to a responsibility to notice abuses of power wherever they may occur and to do whatever we can to support the cause of justice.
Of course this is not always easy, as this beautiful song by Natalie Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs eloquently illustrates; and it is the people of Jersey who will be called upon to make the hard decisions, not the armchair altruists like me!
Anyway all the best for 2009, starting with your date with Jack Straw, and know that support for your tireless efforts and for the cause of the Jersey victims extends to many places well beyond your island's shores.
Uruisg
I have been following your blog closely and have posted occasional comments since the middle of last year.
I discovered your blog in a roundabout way. Although I never knew him, I came to know a little about the late Dereck Carter - former Tourism Minister on Jersey - through contacts in France, and was impressed by what I heard about his reforming and principled approach to politics. Then I discovered the tribute to Dereck on `Is This Jersey?', written by Greg Matthews, in which he described Dereck as having "more principle in his little finger than the whole gang of talentless amateurs and lowlife gangsters who ran the States when he was active and still run the States now".
This further intrigued me, and as the Haut de la Garenne investigation became an ever higher profile story in the national media, I began to wonder whether in some way there might be a connection between an apparent history of child abuse on the island stretching back decades and a tradition of government by a largely unaccountable and possibly corrupt establishment clique. Having made that tentative connection, it was not long before I found the blog of Senator Stuart Syvret!
Not only was I astonished by the forthrightness of what I read, and by your honesty, persistence, compassion, courage and high principles, I also soon realised there were other powerful voices such as Voiceforchildren, Linda Corby and Simon Bellwood, using blogs as a means of political expression in Jersey. I have searched for a similar online community in my native Scotland, and despite it being a time of great constitutional and financial uncertainty here, have found nothing similar. So I concluded that there must be something special - indeed unique - about the situation in Jersey, and over the months you have obliged by demonstrating in forensic detail just what this is.
As an outsider, some would say I have no business even taking a distant interest in the private tribulations of a small rich island. Here is my justification: you are absolutely right to say that highly paid public servants with a responsibility for child protection must discharge their duties, but in normal modern democracies this duty of care is the explicit responsibility of EVERY adult. As global citizens this translates to a responsibility to notice abuses of power wherever they may occur and to do whatever we can to support the cause of justice.
Of course this is not always easy, as this beautiful song by Natalie Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs eloquently illustrates; and it is the people of Jersey who will be called upon to make the hard decisions, not the armchair altruists like me!
Anyway all the best for 2009, starting with your date with Jack Straw, and know that support for your tireless efforts and for the cause of the Jersey victims extends to many places well beyond your island's shores.
Uruisg
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Jersey Again - Watch this Space
So why would the Jersey establishment be hell-bent on obstructing investigation into Haut de la Garenne? The recent evidence-free press conference to smear the investigatve efforts of retired cop Lenny Harper has allowed them to trumpet to a naive media, "No murders here!" I suspect this may be a prelude to "nothing very much happened here at all - and anyway it was all a long time ago" . Never mind that 200-odd people have provided statements alleging abuse.
Chief Minister Frank Walker is mainly famous for claiming that those campaigning for justice were "shafting Jersey internationally". This may be taken to imply that Senator Walker is frightened that the investors on which Jersey's tax haven economy depends will be scared off by the association of the island not just with sea and sun but also sex abuse. Who's kidding who? Don't imagne that the mega-rich tax-avoiders who pour money into Jersey give a shit about the health of the island's social services, past or present. Mired in self-interest, these people will invest in any regime that can provide the right financial terms and an opportunity to cover their tracks.
No, at the risk of being labelled a conspiracy theorist, there simply must be some other reason. I have no idea right now what this might be and I was about to add, "Watch this space."
But better still, watch this space. Or if it turns out that the Jersey oligarchs are able to silence legitimate dissent, watch this one.
Chief Minister Frank Walker is mainly famous for claiming that those campaigning for justice were "shafting Jersey internationally". This may be taken to imply that Senator Walker is frightened that the investors on which Jersey's tax haven economy depends will be scared off by the association of the island not just with sea and sun but also sex abuse. Who's kidding who? Don't imagne that the mega-rich tax-avoiders who pour money into Jersey give a shit about the health of the island's social services, past or present. Mired in self-interest, these people will invest in any regime that can provide the right financial terms and an opportunity to cover their tracks.
No, at the risk of being labelled a conspiracy theorist, there simply must be some other reason. I have no idea right now what this might be and I was about to add, "Watch this space."
But better still, watch this space. Or if it turns out that the Jersey oligarchs are able to silence legitimate dissent, watch this one.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Jersey Politicians are Behind the Smears
The Jersey media adopts a staunchly - at times stridently - pro-establishment line. Think Pravda and you won't be far away. However, free speech may be in a healthier state in neighbouring Guernsey where the local paper gave Lenny Harper (now declared a non-person by the Jersey media) the chance to put his case:
From the Guernsey Press, 17 November 2008
From the Guernsey Press, 17 November 2008
‘Jersey politicians are behind the smears’
Former Jersey deputy police chief Lenny Harper this week found himself the target of accusations that he mishandled the Haut de la Garenne inquiry, stoking speculation about murders – the possibility of which has been ruled out by his successors. Speaking to the Guernsey Press’s Nick Mann from his Ayrshire home, Mr Harper claims he is the subject of a politically-motivated smear campaign
Do you feel you are being made a scapegoat by the Jersey authorities and/or Jersey police and if so why?
The States of Jersey Police is a professional and dedicated organisation. I have an extremely high regard for all of the officers and staff who were there when I was in the post.
Of course, I believe that this smear is politically motivated.
This has been an ongoing situation from the day the inquiry went public when the chief minister [Frank Walker] told me that I was in danger of bringing the government down, tried to admonish me for speaking to a politician who was representing victims and tried to force me to take the word ‘victims’ out of my media releases as ‘they are not victims until something is proved’.
Furthermore, I have been approached now by four journalists in the past 24 hours who tell me they have been questioned by police officers appointed by [Jersey deputy police chief] David Warcup and asked if I have leaked documents to them.
This refers to the report which I sent to the Attorney General in Jersey which was critical of him.
The efforts to smear me contrast markedly with the lack of effort which Frank Walker put into investigating the leak of an email by one of his ministers to a journalist after the SOJP [States of Jersey Police] made a formal complaint.
Both the minister and the journalist denied it, but the journalist’s admission was recorded on the publicly-known system at PHQ. That, and the timing of the release last week, which actually said nothing I had not said previously, give obvious clues.
If you are in any doubt that some months ago I was saying that the bones could be very old and that we might never be able to launch a murder inquiry, go to the BBC News website and go into the link of 31 July at 1756 UK time which features an article headlined ‘Jersey Murder Inquiry Unlikely’.
In that I am quoted as saying that if the evidence remains the same it is obvious there will not be a murder inquiry. This is vastly different to what Warcup inferred yesterday [Wednesday 12].
Do you regret the information you put out during the investigation or do you stand by it and feel the situation has been misinterpreted?
I stand by it and feel it has deliberately been misrepresented.
Was there enough evidence to dig up Haut de la Garenne and what was it?
The reasons for going in there are fully documented in a report on the SOJP website - unless it has been removed. Basically, witnesses were telling us of remains in the location and there was a local solicitor who said he had a client who would confirm the presence of a child’s remains.
We did not go into the home to dig, but to screen the area to try and prove the suggestions one way or another.
This was after a meeting in the UK with experts in the areas of search, anthropology, archaeology, canine recovery and scientific search methods and a desk top study by the leading scientist of a forensic science company.
There was close consultation with the National Policing Improvement Agency. It was only after we started to recover evidence and builders who had worked at the home were telling us that they had been told to burn bones and let bygones be bygones that we started to dig.
Who did you report to? Was there strong enough political oversight of the investigation? Did you make it clear to the Home Affairs minister or the chief minister that the evidence may not prove to be conclusive and when?
The Home Affairs minister [Senator Wendy Kinnard, who subsequently stood back because she was interviewed as a potential witness in the historic abuse inquiry} was totally supportive.
The political oversight of the inquiry was appropriate at her level. The degree of political interference from others masked as oversight was intolerable.
One bizarre aspect was the fact that the two politicians responsible for child safety showed no interest in the inquiry whatsoever other than to try and rubbish it.
Several months ago Frank Walker brought his wife to the scene for a tour. In her presence, and that of some of my team, I told him that he had to prepare for the fact that there would probably never be enough evidence to launch a homicide inquiry.
He put his hand on my shoulder and said that would be no bad outcome, but he was sure I would do what I had to do.
The Home Affairs minister was being closely briefed and she was strongly supportive.
How many officers were working on the investigation and did any of them voice concerns?
There were roughly 50 officers from the UK and Jersey working on this. The team morale at that time was superb.
UK officers were reluctant to leave the inquiry and all had a shared sense of purpose.
They fully supported what the team were doing. Not one of them ever expressed any concerns.
When did you find out the ‘fragment of child’s’ skull was probably coconut?
Again, I have fully explained this. The lab who had the fragment had it for three weeks and reported to us referring to the item as ‘the Jersey skull’.
Firstly they said the bone was too old or too degraded to date. They then reported that they had found collagen in the item, a substance only found in mammals, not wood or coconut.
They then changed their stance again saying that the collagen was too degraded to date.
They then, and only then, said they were no longer sure it was bone.
They added in response to a question from me that if I wanted it definitively identified I would need to have it examined again.
They have never answered my other question which was how they had found collagen in it.
By this time however, the item had been ruled out of the inquiry because our experts had said that the context it had been found in dated it before our inquiry.
All of this was ignored by Warcup on Wednesday.
Are the Jersey authorities deliberately trying to divert attention from Howard League report?
That is a possibility strongly put to me by a number of ex colleagues and journalists.
Have you been contacted by the Met Police who carried out the independent investigation into the inquiry? If not, does that cast doubt on its findings and why?
The Met have arranged to come and speak to me in a week’s time. There has been no other contact. I would be surprised if they had delivered any conclusion to Jersey before speaking to myself.
Have you met David Warcup or [Detective Superintendent] Mick Gradwell since they took over? if so when?
Journalists have told me that Warcup inferred on Wednesday that we had. This is nonsense. There has been no contact since I left the island other than a letter from Warcup advising me ‘of my public duty and for the good of the victims, not to speak to the media’.
Jersey police chief Graham Power has been suspended and you stand by him why? And will you be prepared to defend him as part of the disciplinary process?
Graham Power has been an outstanding chief officer. Under his leadership, an abundance of local talented officers at all levels have prospered.
The HMI has delivered glowing inspection results in marked contrast to those before he arrived.
He has taken a firm stance against corruption, inappropriate behaviour, and, most of all, has fought a long battle against political interference in the operational tasks of the force. I will do anything I am asked to do on his behalf.
Will Wednesday’s announcements affect abuse victims in terms of coming forward to the Jersey authorities and why?
They did not trust the authorities previously and this will make it worse. The view expressed to me by several victims in the past 24 hours is that yesterday was politically motivated as was the suspension of Graham Power. One victim said it is back to the bad old days. Speak to Stuart Syvret.
Is there anything else you want to add?
No. Other than to say that the victims and the people of Jersey were badly served on Wednesday by the blatant misrepresentation of my views and things I had said. They made it appear as if they were contradicting me. In reality, they were saying nothing new.
Article posted on 17th November, 2008 - 2.28pm
Saturday, 25 October 2008
Jersey Bloggers near to Tipping Point in Media War?
Lately I have been closely following the situation in Jersey. By this I mean I have been reading Senator Stuart Syvret's blog, because this appears to be the ONLY reliable source of information on the island. If you don't know what I mean by the `situation in Jersey', I suggest you read the blog itself. For the purpose of the current posting, the main issues of concern are:
You might imagine that all of the above points would have found their way into the local media. Well, actually no. You see the establishment has effective control of the media too. Are you thinking Soviet Union now? - it may sound incredible, but that's not too far from the mark. The local BBC channel actively stifles political debate that might challenge the status quo, and the only local paper, the Jersey Evening Press ( = JEP, get the connection?) even publishes made-up letters in support of the oligarchy. This may sound just too far fetched - but read Stuart's blog.
It is no surprise then that Jersey has a flourishing blogging community (like China I imagine). Many islanders have ditched the conventional media outlets in disgust and have opted to get their news direct from Stuart. The sense of community through a common cause is palpable, and, with Stuart's blog having now attracted over 70,000 discrete readers, a tipping point may be close. Newspapers are running scared of the internet - and not just in Jersey. Advertising revenue, their life-blood, is vanishing as internet-savvy companies learn to exploit the online market. And when the point is reached where most citizens choose to source their news from blogs both the raison d'etre and the viability of the traditional media may disappear forever. And, in Jersey at least, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that this point is rapidly approaching.
I take absolutely no pleasure in this prediction. I am for the most part a staunch admirer of the quality of journalism to be found in the `serious' media in the UK. But "the times they are a'changing" and the traditional media will be forced either to adapt and find a way of living in harmony with the online dissemination of news - or perish. Efforts to manipulate or massage the news to suit a particular political agenda will be more easily and rapidly exposed as more people realise they can locate primary sources of news for themselves on the internet. Thus truth will out.
As ever with the internet, the freedom it brings is a double-edged sword. The technology itself is a morally neutral medium that can just as easily be used as a vehicle for obfuscation and disinformation as it can to reveal the truth. As citizens of the online news community we need well-tuned antennae. We need a `moral compass' that will allow us to recognise and home in on those sources charcterised by honesty, integrity, compassion and a commitment to truth, justice and clear ethical principles.
Where better to test your moral compass than by logging in to Stuart Syvret's blog. You will find all these qualities in spades. He really is setting a standard for committed and principled investigative blogging which should have the emasculated media in Jersey and beyond truly fearful for their future.
- the ongoing police investigation of historical child abuse at the former Haut de la Garenne children's home, and the pursuit of justice for the victims
- the prevailing culture within the political administration of the island which appears, over a period of decades, to have allowed such abuse to flourish
- the de facto one party state - labelled by some the Jersey Establishment Party (JEP) - that has obstructed the police and the pursuit of justice - the charitable interpretation being an antideluvial attitude towards preserving the international image of Jersey; or, less charitably, a sinister closing of ranks to protect cronies
- the impossibility of obtaining justice within such a system, where the judiciary and the establishment politicians appear to be less than separate parts of the same oligarchy
- the formal declaration by the police of a senior education official as a suspect under investigation for child abuse, and the failure of the authorities to suspend the individual pending the outcome of enquiries, pleading a duty of care towards employees that overrides all other perceived duties
You might imagine that all of the above points would have found their way into the local media. Well, actually no. You see the establishment has effective control of the media too. Are you thinking Soviet Union now? - it may sound incredible, but that's not too far from the mark. The local BBC channel actively stifles political debate that might challenge the status quo, and the only local paper, the Jersey Evening Press ( = JEP, get the connection?) even publishes made-up letters in support of the oligarchy. This may sound just too far fetched - but read Stuart's blog.
It is no surprise then that Jersey has a flourishing blogging community (like China I imagine). Many islanders have ditched the conventional media outlets in disgust and have opted to get their news direct from Stuart. The sense of community through a common cause is palpable, and, with Stuart's blog having now attracted over 70,000 discrete readers, a tipping point may be close. Newspapers are running scared of the internet - and not just in Jersey. Advertising revenue, their life-blood, is vanishing as internet-savvy companies learn to exploit the online market. And when the point is reached where most citizens choose to source their news from blogs both the raison d'etre and the viability of the traditional media may disappear forever. And, in Jersey at least, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that this point is rapidly approaching.
I take absolutely no pleasure in this prediction. I am for the most part a staunch admirer of the quality of journalism to be found in the `serious' media in the UK. But "the times they are a'changing" and the traditional media will be forced either to adapt and find a way of living in harmony with the online dissemination of news - or perish. Efforts to manipulate or massage the news to suit a particular political agenda will be more easily and rapidly exposed as more people realise they can locate primary sources of news for themselves on the internet. Thus truth will out.
As ever with the internet, the freedom it brings is a double-edged sword. The technology itself is a morally neutral medium that can just as easily be used as a vehicle for obfuscation and disinformation as it can to reveal the truth. As citizens of the online news community we need well-tuned antennae. We need a `moral compass' that will allow us to recognise and home in on those sources charcterised by honesty, integrity, compassion and a commitment to truth, justice and clear ethical principles.
Where better to test your moral compass than by logging in to Stuart Syvret's blog. You will find all these qualities in spades. He really is setting a standard for committed and principled investigative blogging which should have the emasculated media in Jersey and beyond truly fearful for their future.
Friday, 3 October 2008
Do Directors of Education Abuse Children?
Suppose for just a minute - and I know it is going to sound far-fetched - that a Director of Education and his predecessor had been publicly accused by a local politician of systematic physical abuse of children. And that the allegations were under investigation by the police. What would you expect to happen?
You might expect the employee concerned to be suspended - without prejudice - while the investigation was conducted. You might expect the media - local and national - to afford the matter some attention: it would after all be an extraordinary story.
You might expect all this - unless of course it happened in Jersey.
For such an allegation has this week been made in Jersey - so far to absolutely deafening media silence. And not the slightest hint of anyone being suspended.
I make no apology for referring once again to Jersey Senator Stuart Syvret's blog. You need only know that McKeon is the recently retired Director before I let Stuart take up the story:
Now that's just a flavour of the astonishing allegations. I urge you to visit the blog and read the whole posting and the comments it has attracted.
So where on earth is the mainstream media coverage? Stuart Syvret's blog has attracted 60,000 readers. This is more than the circulation of "The Scotsman". So don't tell me this has somehow escaped the radar of the media.
Maybe they just don't care - Jersey after all is an island with half the population of Dumfries and Galloway, which sits nearer to France than England and enjoys a quaint constitutional status that affords it the same nationhood as Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, along with its vaguely suspicious `offshore' tax status. And sadly it is far from unique in having experienced institutionalised child abuse.
Or maybe they are just too lazy: there is a lot of reading in Senator Syvret's blog. Or maybe too cowardly - fearing litigation perhaps if names are aired. Stuart Syvret has no such fear, and he has explained clearly why. His blog is written in forensic detail and with passion. But it is the regular comments his blog attracts from some of Jersey's abuse victims that ultimately give the greatest credence to what he is trying to do. Beyond question they deserve justice. The UK Government (i.e. Justice Minister Jack Straw) has shown a marked reluctance to intervene to ensure justice, despite their constitutional entitlement - I should say obligation- to do so.
If there are any real investigative journalists with a social conscience still out there, the story is waiting. To capture the current public preoccupation, their starting place could be Jersey's dependence on international banking at this time of crisis, and a few short steps would lead them to the serious failings in the governance of the island and the devastating effect this is having on the quest for justice for the victims of abuse.
You might expect the employee concerned to be suspended - without prejudice - while the investigation was conducted. You might expect the media - local and national - to afford the matter some attention: it would after all be an extraordinary story.
You might expect all this - unless of course it happened in Jersey.
For such an allegation has this week been made in Jersey - so far to absolutely deafening media silence. And not the slightest hint of anyone being suspended.
I make no apology for referring once again to Jersey Senator Stuart Syvret's blog. You need only know that McKeon is the recently retired Director before I let Stuart take up the story:
In the early 1980s McKeon was the Head of the then child secure unit, known as Les Chennes; this place having gradually taken over child imprisonment responsibilities from the infamous Haute de la Garenne, which closed in 1986.
While McKeon was the Head of the “school” – as it was euphemistically known – his Deputy Head was Mario Lundy.
McKeon, miraculously, worked his way up the Education hierarchy to become its Chief Officer – a position from which he retired only last Christmas. And – wouldn’t you know it – his side-kick, Lundy, followed the same career arc – and replaced McKeon as the Chief Officer of Education at the beginning of this year.
Tom McKeon and Mario Lundy were both in the habit of routinely committing savage, violent assaults on the male children in their care.
And so ‘normalised’ were both men to this criminal conduct they thought nothing of blithely carrying out such assaults on an open basis – in front of other witnesses – children and adults.
And we are not talking about the occasional slap on the wrist or tweaked ear.
McKeon was known as “The Pinball Wizard” because such was his calculated propensity for violent child abuse – he even had the furniture in his office at Les Chennes arranged in such a way as to afford a nice, clear run-up to the walls of the room.
He was then able to grab children by the arm, take a run-up – and swing them –wrestling-fashion – so that the child would smash savagely against the walls.
Bouncing children off the walls and furniture in this way gave rise to the nick-name “The Pinball Wizard”.
Now that's just a flavour of the astonishing allegations. I urge you to visit the blog and read the whole posting and the comments it has attracted.
So where on earth is the mainstream media coverage? Stuart Syvret's blog has attracted 60,000 readers. This is more than the circulation of "The Scotsman". So don't tell me this has somehow escaped the radar of the media.
Maybe they just don't care - Jersey after all is an island with half the population of Dumfries and Galloway, which sits nearer to France than England and enjoys a quaint constitutional status that affords it the same nationhood as Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, along with its vaguely suspicious `offshore' tax status. And sadly it is far from unique in having experienced institutionalised child abuse.
Or maybe they are just too lazy: there is a lot of reading in Senator Syvret's blog. Or maybe too cowardly - fearing litigation perhaps if names are aired. Stuart Syvret has no such fear, and he has explained clearly why. His blog is written in forensic detail and with passion. But it is the regular comments his blog attracts from some of Jersey's abuse victims that ultimately give the greatest credence to what he is trying to do. Beyond question they deserve justice. The UK Government (i.e. Justice Minister Jack Straw) has shown a marked reluctance to intervene to ensure justice, despite their constitutional entitlement - I should say obligation- to do so.
If there are any real investigative journalists with a social conscience still out there, the story is waiting. To capture the current public preoccupation, their starting place could be Jersey's dependence on international banking at this time of crisis, and a few short steps would lead them to the serious failings in the governance of the island and the devastating effect this is having on the quest for justice for the victims of abuse.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Is Jersey in Africa?
I just don't get it. This is about Jersey again, and I make no apologies. If a tsunami hit the island tomorrow it would rightly be all over the papers - yes even here in cold, distant Scotland - and we would probably all dig deep into our pockets to provide for the victims and play our tiny part in restoring normality.
Yet the victims of abuse at the former Haut de la Garenne children's home, the victims - it is becoming clear - of an institutionalised culture of harsh treatment that prevailed for many years - might well wish for a tsunami if it would sweep away the apparatus of the state that so cruelly conspires to deny them justice.
If you think I overstate the case, take the time to read Jersey Senator Stuart Syvret's blog on http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.com/. It will take some time, but I urge you to do it. In case you fear that you are just reading one side of the story, check out your gut feeling - are you reading the words of a person of integrity? Since January there have been nearly 120 postings and thousands of comments.......
OK, have you got the picture now? If you didn't know it before, you will now know that Birmingam Lib Dem MP John Hemming and Grimsby Labour MP Austin Mitchell have been urging the UK Government to intervene, which it is constitutionally entitled to do, to ensure that justice is done. Not much about that in the UK media was there? And maybe you did hear a little fragment of the BBC interview with former Deputy Chief Constable Lenny Harper, who led the Jersey abuse investigation until his retirement earlier this year. But now you also know that he said of the obstruction his enquiry encountered:
"There just seems to be a thread running though of people interfering, and people obstructing, together with a series of delayed decisions, which all very, very, easily lead amongst victims to an even stronger suspicion that they are not being supported, and that people are actively trying to delay the enquiry.
Now even if I look at it from a cold and clinical investigator's point of view, there were a vast number of decisions which just totally escaped me, in respect of a rationale for them. "
And now you will know that a former very senior official has recently been unmasked on the blog as having been involved in the physical abuse of children. And still the British media maintains its silence.
You would think Jersey was in Africa, where we somehow manage to ignore or tolerate flagrant abuses of human rights, either because it's not nice to interfere or because we think that's just the `African way'.
Jersey deserves our attention. The victims of abuse deserve our support. And they deserve it now.
Yet the victims of abuse at the former Haut de la Garenne children's home, the victims - it is becoming clear - of an institutionalised culture of harsh treatment that prevailed for many years - might well wish for a tsunami if it would sweep away the apparatus of the state that so cruelly conspires to deny them justice.
If you think I overstate the case, take the time to read Jersey Senator Stuart Syvret's blog on http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.com/. It will take some time, but I urge you to do it. In case you fear that you are just reading one side of the story, check out your gut feeling - are you reading the words of a person of integrity? Since January there have been nearly 120 postings and thousands of comments.......
OK, have you got the picture now? If you didn't know it before, you will now know that Birmingam Lib Dem MP John Hemming and Grimsby Labour MP Austin Mitchell have been urging the UK Government to intervene, which it is constitutionally entitled to do, to ensure that justice is done. Not much about that in the UK media was there? And maybe you did hear a little fragment of the BBC interview with former Deputy Chief Constable Lenny Harper, who led the Jersey abuse investigation until his retirement earlier this year. But now you also know that he said of the obstruction his enquiry encountered:
"There just seems to be a thread running though of people interfering, and people obstructing, together with a series of delayed decisions, which all very, very, easily lead amongst victims to an even stronger suspicion that they are not being supported, and that people are actively trying to delay the enquiry.
Now even if I look at it from a cold and clinical investigator's point of view, there were a vast number of decisions which just totally escaped me, in respect of a rationale for them. "
And now you will know that a former very senior official has recently been unmasked on the blog as having been involved in the physical abuse of children. And still the British media maintains its silence.
You would think Jersey was in Africa, where we somehow manage to ignore or tolerate flagrant abuses of human rights, either because it's not nice to interfere or because we think that's just the `African way'.
Jersey deserves our attention. The victims of abuse deserve our support. And they deserve it now.
Friday, 5 September 2008
Why Bother About Jersey?
OK, I guess you know about the Jersey child abuse case, centred around the former Haut de la Garenne children's home. Maybe you think it is just another sad chapter in the litany of child abuse cases that have come to light in recent years. A sad chapter it certainly is - most especially for the victims - but don't imagine this case is just like all the rest. For it seems that in Jersey things are done according to `the Jersey Way', and this all-pervasive culture amongst the ruling echelons of Jersey society has evoved to protect the status quo - potentially at odds with the hopes of the victims for justice.
The closing of ranks of the Catholic church in the face of the earliest abuse allegations against priests is not dissimilar. The first instinct of the church was misguided compassion for the `fallen priests', who, having yielded to the temptation of the flesh, required the full and forgiving support of the church, to the point of denial and even vilification of victims. Later experience has strongly suggested that child-abusing priests were following their vocation as paedophiles and cynically manipulated the church as a vehicle enabling their gratification. Such people never deserved the naive protection of the church.
Read Jersey maverick Senator Stuart Syvret's blog to learn how the Jersey oligarchy is also closing ranks to conceal the truth.
http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.com
The closing of ranks of the Catholic church in the face of the earliest abuse allegations against priests is not dissimilar. The first instinct of the church was misguided compassion for the `fallen priests', who, having yielded to the temptation of the flesh, required the full and forgiving support of the church, to the point of denial and even vilification of victims. Later experience has strongly suggested that child-abusing priests were following their vocation as paedophiles and cynically manipulated the church as a vehicle enabling their gratification. Such people never deserved the naive protection of the church.
Read Jersey maverick Senator Stuart Syvret's blog to learn how the Jersey oligarchy is also closing ranks to conceal the truth.
http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.com
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