Blood traces found in care home underground room

David Batty

Traces of blood have been found at the former Jersey care home at the centre of a sweeping child abuse investigation, police said today.

Specially trained dogs today identified two spots of blood in a concrete bath in an underground chamber at the Haut de la Garenne home, where a child's skull was unearthed last month.

The findings emerged as an alleged victim expressed hope that the investigation would bring an end to his or her trauma.

The Jersey deputy police chief Lenny Harper said the alleged victim had told detectives the investigation promised "light at the end of the tunnel".

The person, who has not been identified, says he or she was abused at the Haut de la Garenne home where a child's skull was found buried last month.

In a letter the alleged victim says the police investigation has forced him or her to revisit a "black area" of the past. But the writer adds that it has also lifted a heavy emotional weight.

The letter states: "The thought of having to visit the 'black area' of my life and relive the events of my past, having to actually face them again and talk about them in details, filled me with fear and utter dismay.

"Whilst finishing up with you on the last day I did experience a period of an emotional breakdown, yet again.

"I can say now that a heavy weight has been lifted not only from my shoulders, but from my heart. There is light at the end of the tunnel and I am now walking towards it."

Police have confirmed 100 people claim they were sexually and physically abused at Haut de la Garenne. They have identified more than 40 suspected abusers, including senior members of staff and a former senior politician.

Harper, who is leading the investigation, said the letter brought home what the victims had recently gone through.

"This is an indication of the job our officers are doing and how it is affecting those victims."

The letter from the alleged abuse victim was made public as the head of a separate independent review of Jersey's childcare services said progress had been made in protecting children from abusive staff.

Andrew Williamson, a social care expert who was invited last year by the Jersey government to review the island's child protection procedures, said action had been taken to protect children in care from abusive staff but that more needed to be done.

Williamson, director of social services for Devon county council, said he would be recommending several changes to such procedures on the island. His final report is expected to be published at the end of this month.

Speaking at St Paul's Centre, Dumaresq Street, St Helier, he said: "And I am very pleased to see that a number of [deficiencies] are already being addressed. For example, the HR policies for dealing with inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour when working with children are now firmly in place."

A spokesman for States of Jersey said the Williamson review was investigating child protection policies, advice and procedures and the standards, experience and qualifications of staff.

The review followed the sacking of the British social worker Simon Bellwood, who blew the whistle on the practice of holding children as young as 11 in solitary confinement at the Greenfields secure unit.

His employers claim he was sacked for incompetence and he will challenge them at a tribunal on Monday.

Williamson said he had conducted more than 70 interviews with people who were either in care in the island's children homes or were members of staff. But he said that, so far, no one had offered evidence of children being at risk without action being taken.