Abuse inquiry: thousands of files and hundreds of witnesses

Monday 15 December 2014

More than 150,000 pages of documents have been given to the inquiry looking into child abuse in Jersey, and more than 300 potential witnesses have already been contacted, the head of the inquiry said yesterday.

Chairman Frances Oldham QC has thanked everyone who has given evidence so far in a short statement as the inquiry finished its last hearing for the year.

In its first few months the inquiry has already heard accounts of sexual abuse and cruelty within States-run care homes, as well as accounts of sex abuse and rape at Haut de la Garenne, including evidence that former Senator Wilfred Krichefski abused children and that disgraced DJ and prolific paedophile Jimmy Savile went to the home.

In a statement at the close of yesterday’s hearing, Frances Oldham said: “To date have heard evidence concerning more than 90 former residents. We have also heard evidence from a number of expert witnesses. I’d like to thank everyone who’s contributed to the work of the Inquiry.

“We have also been in contact by writing with more than 300 potential witnesses. It is not too late to get in touch with us. The work to trace and prepare documents spanning seven decades is painstaking but essential, concerning as it does more than 150 thousand pages so far.

“All of this evidence we will consider when deciding what went wrong in Jersey’s care system over so many years and making recommendations to keep children safe in the future.”

The inquiry – which has the powers to demand documents and force witnesses to attend and give evidence – is bring chaired by an independent expert from the UK, and is expected to take two years and cost around £6 million. The aim of the inquiry is to find out the truth about historic abuse in the Island and to determine what lessons need to be learned for the future.

It follows a huge police operation that peaked with the February 2008 revelations about abuse at Haut de la Garenne. Police officers investigating historic abuse took 1,776 statements. They heard of 533 alleged offences, 315 were alleged to have been committed at Haut de la Garenne, 66 at other homes or institutions and 152 at places where children were fostered or in private addresses.

The States went on to issue an apology and set up a financial compensation scheme for all former residents of children’s homes who were victims of abuse.

A freephone number has been set up so that people can get in touch with a special support team and any potential witnesses will later be contacted by Legal Advisors who will talk them through the process of giving evidence at a hearing.

The team and legal advisors are all independent of Jersey and all information will be treated in confidence.

The freephone number from Jersey and the UK is 0800 735 0100.

International callers can ring +44 (0)1534 828798.