NO child murders took place at Haut de la Garenne, police have concluded after a major review of evidence gathered during the excavation of the former children’s home.
That review has rejected several of the key claims made during the investigation into historical child abuse by former deputy police chief Lenny Harper, who led it.
In a dramatic development calling into question Mr Harper’s handling of the whole operation, which resulted in international allegations of corruption against the Island, community and authorities, the new senior officers leading the investigation have concluded that:
• No children were murdered at Haut de la Garenne.
• No bodies were hidden or burnt there.
• There is no evidence to suggest that the 65 children’s teeth found there were not shed naturally.
• The majority of the bone fragments which were tested were animal.
• Two of three bone fragments which were possibly human but not positively identified as such are dated between 1470 and 1670, and the third between 1660 and 1950.
• Items considered as possibly shackles, but not named as such by Mr Harper, are just rusty pieces of metal.
• There is no evidence that an item found which it was believed could have been improvised restraints is anything suspicious.
• No blood was found in samples detected by sniffer dogs in the concrete bath.
• There is no evidence that the bath was used in the carrying out of any offences.
• The underground spaces referred to as cellars, and in some media reports as dungeons or punishment rooms, were voids and not cellars.
The police emphasise that the historical child abuse inquiry, which began two years ago, will continue to be the main focus of the investigation, but say there will not be the number of prosecutions that the public were led to believe would take place.
The focus of the investigation switched to Haut de la Garenne in February this year, with major excavation leading to media reports around the world on alleged torture, murder and official cover-ups. The last official estimate of the cost of the inquiry, made in August, was £7.5m.
Jersey,s new deputy police chief, David Warcup, who now has strategic responsibility for the inquiry, said today at a press conference held at police headquarters that some of the information given out in police statements during the investigation had been incorrect.
Mr Warcup said: ‘It is extremely unfortunate that some of the information given out was not strictly accurate, which, coupled with considerable speculation, has not assisted the inquiry.’
He added: ‘I am of the opinion that speculation will in future be shown to have had a detrimental impact on the inquiry and may have had an impact on public confidence in the criminal justice system.’
The deputy police chief said that he wanted to clarify a number of issues about the search of Haut de la Garenne, where a considerable number of forensic exhibits had been recovered.
He said that statements issued by the States of Jersey Police suggested that serious criminal offences had been perpetrated at Haut de la Garenne against children and that possibly children might have been murdered and their bodies disposed of by being burnt or buried within the home.
‘I will make a number of key points to reassure the public and provide clarity about reported events,’ he said.
Mr Warcup said that a clear distinction was now being made between the forensic finds uncovered during the excavation of the building and the investigation into historical child abuse.
He said that he and the inquiry’s new senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell, believed that none of the forensic finds from Haut de la Garenne was connected to the historical child abuse aspects of the inquiry.
He said: ‘It is our assessment that the forensic recoveries do not indicate that there were murders of children or other people at Haut de la Garenne. Nor do we believe the evidence indicates that bodies have been destroyed, burnt or hidden there.’
Mr Warcup said that there were still opportunities for further forensic analysis, and should new evidence come to light appropriate action would be taken.
He added later: ‘Our conclusion that no murders took place at Haut de la Garenne is backed up by a report from the Metropolitan Police following a review of the inquiry.’
Because legal proceedings were under way, Mr Warcup said, it was not possible to discuss every aspect of the investigation.
‘But it is right that we should ensure facts are properly reported, as the inaccurate presentation of facts can create a real risk to future trials,’ he said.
Mr Warcup said that although there would not be the number of prosecutions which the public had been led to expect, that in no way reflected on the commitment of the inquiry team.
He emphasised that the complainants and the witnesses coming forward were central to the investigation. ‘My message to them is clear. None of the statements we are making today question our absolute commitment to the full and thorough investigation of the complaints which have been made with the aim of uncovering the truth and bringing anyone responsible for offending to justice.’
The new team believe that the five-month excavations at Haut de la Garenne had led to a loss of a lot of time in the child abuse inquiry. ‘Mr Gradwell and I have returned the full focus, energy and efforts back to the complainants in the child abuse investigation,’ he said.
Asked by the JEP what he would say to anyone suggesting that he and his team might be covering up any alleged child murders, Mr Warcup said that he would totally reject any such claims. ‘I have over 20 years of senior experience within one of the largest and most successful forces in the country dealing with a range of difficult and complex cases and would ask anyone making such claims what my motive would be to do so,’ he said.
Mr Warcup said that before coming to the Island he had never met Mr Gradwell and yet they were both in full agreement that no murders had taken place at the site – a conclusion supported by the Metropolitan Police review.
He was also asked if he had received any pressure from anyone in government in relation to the inquiry and said that definitely was not the case.
He was then asked where he believed the findings left the police chief, Graham Power, who had been in overall charge of the force while Mr Harper ran the inquiry.
He responded: ‘I have the strategic lead responsibility for the inquiry and come to the press conference to provide information about what the situation is and how I see the current state of the inquiry and to keep the public properly informed. I want to ensure that the public have the correct facts.’
• Picture: Deputy police chief David Warcup (right) and the man now leading the inquiry, Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell, at a press conference this morning
