"Abuse claims made against 15 high-profile people" - police

Friday 25 September 2015

There are 15 high-profile people at the heart of the new historic abuse inquiry, the police have confirmed today.

They say that 15 “people of public prominence” have been named in connection to child abuse – ten of them are dead, and all but one of them are based in the UK. The dead suspects are thought to include former UK Prime Minister Ted Heath.

There are now eight officers working full-time on “Operation Whistle” and they have interviewed two of the surviving high-profile suspects, with a third interview planned.

The 15 high-profile suspects make up a quarter of the 60 suspects identified so far under “Operation Whistle”. A total of 32 victims have made contact with the police, and 12 new complaints have been made since the launch of the operation was announced in June.

Detective Superintendent Stewart Gull – the man who caught Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright – is leading the inquiry.

He said: “The Operation Whistle Team continues to work hard to ensure that victims are listened to and given the support that they need.

“We commend the victims who have engaged with us and we would encourage anyone else who has been the victim of historical abuse to come forward and speak with us in confidence.

“There have been arrests and there will be more to come.”

The police have confirmed that 80 witness statements have been made so far, and that investigators have been searching through historic records held at the Jersey Archives.

They say that they are keeping the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry informed about progress in the investigation, as well as the Independent Safeguarding Partnership Board chair.