New evidence found in Jersey child abuse probe
Evidence has been found in a Second World War bunker which “corroborates” claims by alleged child abuse victims in Jersey, detectives said today.
The announcement came as British Labour MP Austin Mitchell called on the British government to intervene in the scandal.
Mr Mitchell hit out at Jersey elites yesterday, claiming there was a “prevailing desire to sweep scandal and abuse under the carpet”.
Six witnesses told police they were abused at the isolated bunker less than a mile from the former children’s home Haut de la Garenne where the investigation has been focused.
Deputy Chief Officer Lenny Harper, from States of Jersey Police, would not reveal what new material was recovered, but said it was not of “huge” significance.
He said: “They might be of evidential value and for that reason I am not saying exactly what they are.”
Mr Mitchell, MP for Grimsby, tabled his British House of Commons motion yesterday and called for an independent inquiry to be carried out by a judge from the British mainland.
Calling for a separate investigation, he said he “lacked confidence in the ability of the island’s authorities to deal with the issues with sufficient independence and rigour because of the scale and the long history of the problem”.
The bunker where the new evidence was found lies about 500 yards from the boundary of Haut de la Garenne, where the investigation began in February.
Police have sifted through more than 150 tons of debris during the course of the inquiry, which has now been completed at the home.
Officers are investigating about 97 allegations of abuse in Jersey, and have said there are more than 100 suspects.
Investigations started after the discovery of what was initially believed to be part of a child’s skull.
Tests later suggested it was more likely to be wood or part of a coconut.
Following the find, scores of people came forward claiming they were drugged, raped and beaten.
Police excavated four secret underground chambers at the site, referred to as punishment rooms by some victims, and found shackles, a large bloodstained bath and children’s teeth.
Three men have been charged with sex abuse offences as part of the inquiry into historical abuse.
Gordon Wateridge, 76, originally from Croydon, south London, is charged with three offences of indecent assault on girls under 16 between 1969 and 1979 while he was working at the home.
Claude Donnelly, 68, of St Brelade, is charged with raping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl on Jersey between 1971 and 1974. Donnelly is not connected to Haut de la Garenne.
Michael Aubin, 45, is charged with indecently assaulting a seven-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy and one count of a serious sexual offence on an eight-year-old boy, all between January 1 1977 and December 31 1980. The charges relate to three different children at the home.
Last month a 70-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman were arrested in connection with three assaults but were later bailed.
A 50-year-old former Jersey police officer was also arrested and bailed last month on suspicion of “serious crimes” at the home and elsewhere on the island.
