Packed crematorium for "one of a kind" journalist

Friday 03 August 2018

Family, friends and former colleagues gathered to say farewell to one of the island’s most renowned journalists, who documented one of Jersey’s most mysterious murder cases and won hearts with his witty alter ego.

Phil Falle, who died last Tuesday aged 76, worked for the Jersey Evening Post for almost 30 years, and is believed to be the only local journalist to have been awarded an MBE for his work.

In a thoughtful, yet witty and well-informed eulogy, his old boss, former JEP Editor Chris Bright told a packed crematorium that Phil was the consummate professional and the inspiration for a generation of journalists who learnt many "tricks and techniques" from him.

He was born in Yorkshire in 1941, after his parents left the island just before the Occupation. They returned after the Liberation and he went to Trinity and St Luke’s primary schools before going to the newly-established Hautlieu. Aged 20, he joined the States of Jersey Police as PC4. He spent a decade in the job, including a stint in CID, before briefly taking up farming.

Pictured: Police and politicians were among those who filled the crematorium to say goodbye to Phil.

According to Mr Bright, it was these experiences, along with his honesty and sense of humour, that allowed him to make friends easily, and meant he had a very wide range of contacts spanning politicians, lawyers and union bosses. The result was thirty years of ‘scoops’ – the airing of stories that might otherwise have remained hidden from the public gaze.

Amongst those at the service to say goodbye to Phil were former Bailiff and politician Sir Philip Bailhache; former Chief Minister Frank Walker; and former politicians Roy Le Herissier, Terry Le Main, Ben Fox and Terry McDonald. The latter two also knew him through the police force.

One of the longest running stories Phil was involved in – and which he co-authored a book with Anthony Masters about - was the mysterious disappearance of Jersey husband and wife Nicholas and Elizabeth Newall in 1987. It later transpired they’d been killed.

Pictured: Phil in later life.

In 1992, one of their sons – Roderick – confessed to murdering them and later led Jersey Police to where he’d buried their bodies at Greve de Lecq. He was sent to prison for life for the double murder, but released in 2007. His brother – Mark – was convicted of helping to conceal the bodies. Phil’s police contacts meant he was well-informed and 'The Newall Murders' is an insightful account of the police’s doggedness and conviction that one day they would solve the crime.

In later life, Phil’s alter ego was Helier Clement. A proud Jerseyman, he would freely dispense his thoughts on everything from the state of local architecture to world politics through his regular newspaper column.

The style was relaxed and easy, often humorous, but you could often detect the words of Dunne’s fictional 19^th century Irish bartender named Mr Dooley, and the aphorism that Phil lived his life by: "The job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."