Plaintive graffiti in Jersey children's

David Brown

The Australian

MORE bones and a chilling message have been found in an underground chamber at a former children's home on the island of Jersey.

Graffiti scrawled on a wall of the "punishment room" at Haut de la Garenne said, "I've been bad for years and years".

Former staff at the home are being investigated over claims that they covered up suicides and mysterious deaths of children, as police investigate allegations of a culture of physical and sexual abuse spanning three decades.

Records of deaths during this time are being reviewed after concerns that they were not properly investigated at the time.

More than 160 former residents of the home have told police they were drugged, raped and beaten in underground punishment rooms detention cells and the sick bay, and that they were abused on organised boating trips around the island.

Some residents and staff have told police that children disappeared during the night.

One says two suicides and a mysterious death in the sick bay were never investigated by police. One child, aged about 12, was found hanged after spending a week in solitary confinement.

The former head of the local volunteer police force, which leads investigations into sudden deaths, said he had never been aware of problems at the home.

"In 30 years I was never, never called to Haut de la Garenne and the first I heard of the problems was on Sunday," said John Germaine.

So far, forensic teams at the site have excavated one bricked-up secret cellar and believe there could be three more. As a new find of probable human remains was sent for testing, Jersey deputy police chief Lenny Harper said the number of suspects was "well over 40", plus a number who are dead.

"At times there appears to be abuse that was endemic. There also seem to be periods when (the home) was run as it should have been," he said.

"I think we are more looking at a culture rather than a pedophile ring."

Mr Harper said he did not know who had written the haunting verse found in the chamber, or when it was put there.

Asked if he was any closer to making an arrest, he said: "Suspects are one thing; we need evidence to convict people."

Mr Harper said a specialist police team was at the port to prevent any suspects trying to escape: "If we get any evidence that they are trying to leave the island, we have got a team at the ports and we will take the necessary action."

The abuse at Haut de la Garenne, the majority of which is understood to have taken place in the 1970s and 80s, involved staff regularly sexually assaulting boys and girls, it has been claimed.

Victims have also said they were attacked by other children at the home, which was used fororphans and children with behaviour problems.

The inquiry continues to grow daily.

Mr Harper said more forensic specialists were due to fly in from the British mainland next week.

The Times