Jersey child abuse inquiry focuses on bricked up cellar

Police searching a Jersey youth hostel where the remains of a child were found said today they were focusing on a bricked-up cellar.

Detectives said a sniffer dog specially trained to locate human remains had identified a number of hotspots at the cellar within the Haut de la Garenne, a former children’s home.

Officers were alerted to the site, which used to be an orphanage, after a child abuse investigation was launched last November with allegations dating back to the 1960s.

Lenny Harper, Jersey’s deputy chief police officer, could not say how long the cellar had been sealed.

There have been reports that children at the home were forced into solitary confinement, and when asked if the cellar was used for this Mr Harper declined to comment.

“We are concentrating on a cellar that was at one stage bricked up,” he said.

“It is a very slow methodical process. We have had some positive indications from the dog but there could be a number of explanations.

“At this stage we just don’t know if there are more bodies.”

Mr Harper said that ten more alleged victims had come forward after the story appeared in the media. Police were already in contact with 140 alleged victims and witnesses, including former employees at the home.

Mr Harper said the investigation was also looking at accusations that allegations of abuse were not properly investigated when children made complaints in the past.

“Part of the inquiry will be the fact that a lot of the victims tried to report their assaults but for some reason or another they were not dealt with as they should be,” he said.

“We are looking at allegations that a number of agencies didn’t deal with things as perhaps they should, we are looking at all the agencies.