Haut de la Garenne ex-resident Michael Aubin guilty of child abuse

Chris Ison

A former resident of a Jersey care home at the centre of Britain’s biggest abuse investigation pleaded guilty today to sexually abusing other children.

Michael Aubin admitted two counts of gross indecency and two counts of indecent assault on children under 10 at the Haut de la Garenne home.

Aubin, 46, was a resident at the home in the 1970s.

Haut de la Garenne was the focus of a massive police investigation into claims that children had been abused and even possibly murdered at the home from the 1960s until its closure in 1986.

Police compiled a list of 40 suspects after scores of people came forward claiming that they were sexually and physically abused there.

Stephen Baker, prosecuting, told the Royal Court in St Helier that Aubin had told police he was also the victim of abuse while a resident at the home.

Psychologists believe that Aubin could have enjoyed being abused and when he was older he in turn “dominated” young children, the court was told.

Mr Barker said: “The boys did not resist at the time. It may be that, in Aubin’s disturbed mind, he mistook the lack of resistance for compliance.

“It seems plain that this was a very disturbed young man in his teens. Quite what was going through his mind is impossible to tell.”

Aubin, a cleaner from Southampton, Hampshire, who was born on Jersey, had earlier pleaded not guilty to three further counts of indecent assault.

Mr Baker said that the prosecution had accepted the pleas after detailed discussions with the police and the victims in the case. “The views of each of the complainants has been sought. Each is in agreement with the position the Crown is to take,” he added.

Aubin was remanded in custody until sentencing on June 22. At least two other people have been charged in connection with the investigation.