Four credible death threats in Jersey in past ten years

Tuesday 06 October 2015

Police in Jersey have warned four people that their lives were under threat in the past ten years.

According to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act, Jersey Police have issued four Osman Warnings since 2005.

Osman Warnings are issued by police when they have enough information to believe a person’s life is in danger or that they are at serious risk of harm.

They are usually issued in cases where there is not enough evidence to make an arrest.

The Osman Warnings issued in Jersey occurred in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015. They did not relate to public figures, such as politicians, or senior civil servants, and did not result in any arrests.

Osman Warnings take their name from a case before the European Court of Human Rights in 1998 between the Osman family and the United Kingdom.

The family claimed the police should have had a duty of care to inform them about credible threats to their life in 1988 when Mr Ali Osman was shot dead by Paul Paget-Lewis, a teacher at his son’s school.

His son, Ahmet Osman was wounded.

A spokesperson for Jersey Police said: “Osman warnings are given to people against whom threats against their lives have been made, i.e. death threats.

“These are in situations where there is sufficient intelligence giving rise to reasonable concern that someone’s life could be in danger, but insufficient evidence of an offence having yet been committed at that stage, and hence insufficient grounds to make an arrest.  

“The police might also put in place other measures such as interaction with potential assailants so as to deter or restrict the ability to carry out the threat. As to how people may be affected, this will vary in the circumstances.”