Jersey abuse case: ‘Old boy network’ is obstructing police investigation

Gordon Rayner
London Telegraph
Saturday, Aug 9, 2008

Deputy Chief Officer Lenny Harper angrily hit out at the figures who he says have engaged in a “day by day attack” on the inquiry team and the alleged victims of abuse at Haut de la Garenne and other island institutions.

In his most outspoken criticism of the Jersey authorities, Mr Harper told the Telegraph: “I can quite clearly say that the investigation is being held up. There are people on the island who just don’t want us going down the route of this inquiry.”

Mr Harper, who handed over the reins of the investigation to his successor on Thursday and officially leaves the Jersey force at the end of the month, also revealed fresh details of why he is so convinced that someone deliberately concealed the bones and teeth of five children, perhaps after murdering them.

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But he has effectively conceded defeat in the quest to discover exactly how the children died, and who might have killed them, as forensic tests have failed to establish how old the bones are.

“If the test results on the final samples are no more accurate, then the answer is that something very nasty happened in there, we don’t know exactly what, and because we can’t prove who or what it was there is no possibility of a successful homicide investigation,” he said.

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