Lenny Harper tells Jersey Care enquiry corrupt police were not charged vs Jersey former chief minister says 'no abuse cover up'

BBC 
15-1-2016

There was no conspiracy to hide abuse allegations in Jersey, according to a former chief minister.

Frank Walker, who led the government during the police investigation into historical abuse allegations, has been giving evidence at the care inquiry.

Previous witnesses accused Mr Walker of trying to influence the original investigation.

He flatly denied the claims, saying he gave his full support to the police investigating the accusations.

The chief of police at the time of the investigation, Graham Power, was suspended and his deputy, Lenny Harper, retired amid criticism of his handling of the investigation.

The Health Minister at the time, Stuart Syvret, was also ejected from his government post after raising his concerns publicly.

While giving evidence, Mr Walker rounded on Mr Syvret, saying the former Senator's public outbursts did not help children because they undermined potential prosecutions.

He said: "If Stuart Syvret had approached me it would have set alarm bells ringing. It never happened.

"It was a totally inappropriate way to bring this into the public domain. He could and should have come to me in the first instance, probably with his Chief Officer.

"Why, after eight years of being in charge of this department, didn't he use this arena to bring forward these amazingly sensitive issues."

Mr Walker said Lenny Harper had falsely led the media to believe murders had taken place at Haut de la Garenne. And he said Mr Harper's superior officer, the Police Chief Graham Power, had allowed him to get out of control.

Mr Walker said when abuse allegations came to light, the States publicly announced it would support the police in making sure no stone was unturned and he told the panel that is exactly what it did.

12-1-2016
BBC
Police officers sold prescription drugs to prostitutes for sex and put pornographic films on computers bought with police budgets, but were not charged, it has been claimed.

Former police chief Lenny Harper told the Jersey Care inquiry he submitted files against officers in 2007, but the attorney general did not charge them.

He said one officer pointed a gun at another's head but was not sacked.

The States of Jersey Police declined to comment on the claims.

Lenny Harper, who was appointed deputy chief officer of the force in 2003, told the inquiry there were approaching a dozen suspects who had been arrested and files were presented to the Law Officers Department but they were not charged by the attorney general.

Children were 'loaned out'

He said the police took possession of computers senior members of the IT Department "had bought on the police budgets with pornographic films on the computers and no charges were ever brought against them".

He told the inquiry he could also remember at least four cases in which officers who had been suspended by the States of Jersey Police (SOJP) were reinstated by the States of Jersey.

He said he did not recall making a complaint himself to the attorney generals officer about the alleged failure to charge corrupt officers because it was the job of the head of operations to oversee daily police work, though he said lawyers working in the attorney general's office were approached by other police officers.

Mr Harper, who led a two-year long police investigation starting in 2006 into historic child abuse in Jersey, also gave evidence about "a culture emerging in Jersey of systematic child abuse" which was "far worse" than a single paedophile ring.

He said: "Children were in effect being loaned out to people taken on yachting trips" and there were allegations of abuse taking place outside of territorial waters which were not dealt with properly by the police.