Investigators visit Island to present conclusions to £31k police complaints inquiry

Monday 12 June 2017

A former tow-truck driver who prompted an investigation into Jersey Police after claiming that he had suffered “harassment” after being arrested and having his house searched before the case against him was dropped will today find out the results of that inquiry.

Officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which conducted the investigation, have travelled to the Island today to present their conclusions to the year-long inquiry, which is expected to have cost in the region of £31,000.

It was launched in April last year by the Assistant Minister for Home Affairs following complaints made by Roy Boschat, who owned a vehicle towing service.

The issue began with allegations, apparently from his competitors, that Mr Boschat offered favours to officers in return for work, which were never substantiated, but which led to his arrest and a subsequent search of his house in 2006. He was later removed from a rota of towing companies used by the police.

During the following weeks, the then Deputy Police Chief Lenny Harper sent a letter to the Island’s parish Constables advising them to avoid Mr Boschat’s company due to his alleged offences, which did not lead to any convictions. All allegations were subsequently dropped. 

In 2015, Mr Boschat argued in the Royal Court that he had been “subject to harassment” and that the whole debacle had lost him his reputation and had lost him £600,000 in business.

But the case was struck out by the judge due to being “out of time."

However, in his conclusions, the Master of the Royal Court described the handling of Mr Boschat's requests for information from the police, “…wholly unacceptable, if not deplorable.”

Several months later, the Police Service of Northern Ireland was commissioned to investigate.

Speaking at the time, Assistant Home Affairs Minister Connétable Deidre Mezbourian said: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland have been commissioned as an independent authority to conduct this investigation and we have every confidence that they will do so with high standards of professionalism and objectivity.”