Review of the Year – July
NIGHTCLUB owner Martin Sayers will probably forever regret his decision to turn away female clubbers for being ‘too fat’ on a Saturday night at the Havana Club
The situation quickly escalated as the scorned women whipped up a backlash, resulting in a Facebook group with over 1,000 member, angry letters to the JEP and a public protest.
Around half a dozen women were refused entry on the night and police were eventually called to calm the situation at the club in Halkett Street. Mr Sayers quickly apologised for any hurt that he had caused but said that his business was suffering because of the high number of morbidly obese people visiting the Havana Club. However, following a public protest outside the club, Mr Sayers apologised again and agreed to reverse his decision.
HALF of the Island’s farmers celebrated the overturning of a 220-year ban on importing bull semen, following a fractious few months for the industry.
There are only 27 dairy farmers left in Jersey but the debate over whether or not the ban should be lifted involved many Islanders and ultimately, politicians. Chief Minister Senator Frank Walker personally backed the change and Members voted by 34 votes to 15 to pass his proposal.
Agricultural experts from both sides of the evenly-split industry sought to influence the vote. Those against importing bull semen argued that it would ruin Jersey’s closed herd of cows but those in favour said that the industry would die without outside help.
Just days after the law was passed, orders for outside semen were placed by several farmers and the first calf is expected in Spring.
OVER 50 people were left homeless after a huge fire destroyed Broadlands lodging house.
Islanders quickly rallied round and donated clothes, money and food for the staff and residents of the St Peter property who had all escaped unharmed despite the building being completely gutted. St Peter’s Community Centre became a makeshift shelter for the victims, mostly from Madeira, as they sought to rebuild their lives in the following days.
The Fire Service eventually confirmed that the fire was caused by a spark from a nearby workshop and that it accelerated so quickly because of the presence of acetylene cylinders.
In the aftermath of the blaze, Citizens Advice Bureau manager Francis Le Gresley criticised the number of people still living in non-qualified lodging houses in the Island.
Over £30,000 was raised by Islanders to help the victims.
FOR the first time in the investigation, attention was turned away from Haut de la Garenne as police began excavating a German Occupation bunker near Victoria Tower, a short distance from the children’s home. After several weeks’ investigation, police revealed that they had found nothing of huge significance.
Later in the month, reports from a UK laboratory stated that the burned human remains found at the site could date from any time between 1650 and 1960.
Senator Stuart Syvret confirmed that he had formally notified UK Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw that he intended to take him to court. The former Health Minister claimed that Mr Straw had failed to meet his obligations under the European Court of Human Rights to ensure that Jersey’s child abuse victims were treated fairly by the Island’s legal system. Former deputy police chief Lenny Harper later agreed to be a witness in the case.
Elsewhere, Childline Founder Esther Rantzen, in the Island for the Jersey Hospice Lottery draw, outlined her fears that children in Jersey were at risk because the Island was lacking measures to ensure their safety.
THE proposed Island Plan came in for a battering from one of Jersey’s foremost environmentalists who said that he was concerned by the ‘radical’ and ‘contradictory’ ideas within it.
Mike Stentiford said that the plans, which included proposals to create a second waterfront with 800 houses, move the port to La Collette and move the fuel farm offshore, would be a waste of everything that the States had strived for when they had the area designated as a Ramsar site a few years ago.
Mr Stentiford said that it would create a ‘large footprint’ on the area and said that the States should not go back on what they originally decided, which was to protect the site.
The consultation period for the document expired in November and the States are now working on a revised Island Plan for next year.
Firefighters examine the gutted remains of Broadlands
Club owner Martin Sayers calls a press conference to apologise for his door policy
The historical child abuse investigation moved away from Haut de la Garenne to a nearby bunker
Environmentalist Mike Stentiford criticised the proposed Island plan for its contradictory ideas
Following fierce debate which split the Island’s dairy industry, a decision was made to overturn the 220-year ban on importing bull semen
