Fifteen figures of public prominence – celebrities, TV personalities and sports people – have been identified as suspects by the force, it was revealed yesterday.
In an update of police investigation Operation Whistle, which was launched in June, Detective Superintendent Stewart Gull, the head of crime services for the States police, said that ten of the public figures who had been identified were dead. One of these is known to be former Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath.
He also confirmed that officers had travelled to the UK to interview two figures of public prominence, with a third interview in the UK planned in the coming weeks.
Jersey officers have received allegations of abuse against 60 suspects from 45 alleged victims. The claims of abuse date from the 1930s up to ‘the last decade’ and relate to five Island institutions, including the former children’s home Haut de la Garenne. Det Supt Gull said that all of the institutions were now closed, but he declined to name them.
Police say they are aware of the identities of 47 of the suspects and are working closely with authorities in the UK to track down the other 13. Officers have so far arrested four men – two have been charged and two have been released pending further inquiries.
Operation Whistle mirrors a UK-wide investigation involving all 43 forces known as Operation Hydrant, and since it was launched, 12 new witnesses have come forward. Several live in the UK, and one is known to reside in Australia.
Det Supt Gull added that eight officers were now working on the case, two more than when the investigation was launched, and that they were carrying out extensive research of historical data at the Jersey Archives to try to identify the names of the remaining suspects.
The force said that they were working with various agencies in Jersey as part of their investigation, including the Jersey Action Against Rape charity. The Independent Jersey Care Inquiry and the chair of the Independent Safeguarding Partnership Board have also been consulted, they added.
Former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath is just one of many people of ‘public prominence’ currently being investigated by the States police under the banner of Operation Whistle.
Earlier this year the force revealed that 45 people were under investigation for historical child abuse offences, 13 of whom were described as people who are ‘well-known’ public figures, including celebrities, politicians and sports people.
UK Investigation
ALTHOUGH rumours about Sir Edward’s private life have persisted for years, the claims exploded into the national media earlier this week when the Independent Police Complaints Commission announced it was to investigate whether the Wiltshire Police failed to pursue allegations of child abuse made against Sir Edward in the 1990s by a brothel keeper.
It is understood that the 67-year-old woman, who has been twice jailed for running a brothel in Salisbury, where Sir Edward lived after leaving office, had a prosecution against her dropped after threatening to expose the former Prime Minister as a paedophile.
The allegation of a cover-up was made by a former senior police officer from the force, who was a constable at the time of the aborted investigation.
Wiltshire police have now appealed for any further potential victims or witnesses to come forward.
Scotland Yard has reportedly also been investigating Sir Edward as part of Operation Midland, which was launched to examine child abuse by an alleged Westminster paedophile ring.
In total five forces – the States police, the Met, Wiltshire, Kent and Hampshire – are now investigating abuse claims against the former prime minister.
In a statement, Kent police said: ‘Kent police has today received a report of a sexual assault having been committed in east Kent in the 1960s.
The victim has named Sir Edward in connection with the allegation. Detectives are making initial inquiries and will obtain a full account from the victim.’
The Hampshire Constabulary also confirmed last night that it was investigating abuse allegations, but declined to comment further.
Sir Edward was invited to the Island in July 1976 by de Gruchy to promote his book, Sailing – A Course of My Life. The ex-politician, who is one of four British prime ministers never to have married, attended a book signing event at the store and also met the Constable of St Helier at that time, Peter Baker.
Sir Edward left his 18th-century house in Salisbury and its contents to a charitable foundation for it to be used as a museum dedicated to his career.
In a statement, the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation said: ‘We welcome the investigation by Wiltshire police, which we wholeheartedly believe will clear Sir Edward’s name and we will co-operate fully with the police in their inquiries.’
Operation Whistle
Operation Whistle was launched by the States police in June following an increase in reports of historical cases of abuse following the death of Jimmy Savile and the launch of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry last year.
The suspected abuse in Jersey, which allegedly mainly took place at the former children’s home Haut de la Garenne and three other unnamed institutions which are no longer in use, goes back as far as the 1930s.
A team of six investigators was established to work in collaboration with the UK-based team under Operation Hydrant, which was set up to investigate reports of sexual abuse across the British Isles.
The force had unearthed allegations against as many as 45 people, some of whom are dead or have not yet been identified, and at least 50 alleged victims. Some of the suspects and victims are separate to those identified in the States police’s historical child abuse investigation, Operation Rectangle, which began in 2008.
Although the oldest cases date back to the 1930s, the majority are from the 1970s and 1980s, according to the States police.
The States police were unable to provide information on how many allegations had been made against Sir Edward, what the nature of the allegations were or the number of alleged victims who were involved. However, they have confirmed that a further update on Operation Whistle will be released later this year.
