No murders at care home in Jersey, police conclude

Terri Judd

One of the most gruesome investigations of recent times descended into chaotic argument yesterday as Jersey police said there was no substance to claims of murder at a children's home.

The inquiry into child abuse allegations at the Haut de la Garenne home took an even more sinister twist this spring with talk of dismembered murder victims, bones, baby teeth, underground punishment chambers and shackles.

The now-retired deputy chief officer Lenny Harper suggested six bodies could have been buried under the building. But yesterday the new head of the investigation dismissed all such claims, insisting the bone fragments found in the cellars dated back to the 15th to 17th centuries and expressed "much regret" at "misleading" information released by his predecessor.

One strand of evidence after another in the £4m inquiry was discredited. In response, Mr Harper accused his successor of "blatant misrepresentation".

As the island's most senior officer, Graham Power, walked into the local radio station to announce that he had been suspended, having refused to resign, the island's ministers took the opportunity to launch a public attack. The renewed row began yesterday morning as Deputy Chief Officer David Warcup gave his first briefing since taking over one of Britain's biggest child abuse cases.

The shackles and restraints found at the home, which closed in 1986, were described simply as rusty pieces of metal, while a blood-stained bath had not been used since the 1920s. There was also "nothing suspicious" about bones, teeth, pits and cellars at the former children's home.

"There is no suggestion there has been murder or any bodies destroyed. It is very unfortunate and I have much regret that information has been given by police that was not strictly accurate," added Mr Warcup.

Alongside him Detective Superintendent Michael Gradwell went on to discredit much of the findings Mr Harper claimed to have made since the operation went public in February. He said the belief that forensic teams had uncovered secret underground chambers which some victims referred to as punishment rooms where they were kept in solitary confinement, drugged, beaten and raped was "wrong".

They were, he said, "just cellars". But Mr Warcup insisted there was no indication of a cover-up under Mr Harper and the abuse inquiry would continue.

Within hours of the u-turn in the inquiry, Mr Power told journalists he "strenuously denied" wrongdoing but faced an investigation into his role in the inquiry. "I will rigorously contest allegations... I have been offered an opportunity to retire from my role as chief officer but have chosen to contest the allegations," he said.

The investigation was launched in 2006 but scandal surrounding the home erupted in February, setting Mr Harper at loggerheads with politicians and the legal system. The establishment was accused of a cover-up while Chief Minister Frank Walker accused a whistleblower of "trying to shaft Jersey". Yesterday Mr Walker expressed concern about damage to the island's reputation. He added: "I feel very let down by revelations about inappropriate handling of the investigation."

Mr Harper, now of Ayrshire, said: "My first reaction is of great disappointment at the blatant misrepresentation of things I am supposed to have said by David Warcup. He says we were claiming murder. I always said we had no evidence of homicide."

The investigation of complaints from more than 100 people about sexual and physical abuse continues.