In part four of this exclusive, in-depth and revealing, interview with former Senior Investigating Officer of Jersey's Historical Child Abuse Investigation, Mr. Lenny Harper he tells us to "go with the evidence."
Regular viewers/readers will be aware that three politicians (who are up for election this year) Senator Jimmy Perchard, Senator Ben Shenton and Deputy Sean Power are asking Jersey's Attorney General to investigate the possibility of leaks to the NOTW during the Historical Child Abuse Enquiry. Mr. Harper, and a growing number of others, see this as a cynical attempt by these three politicians to attack Mr Harper, his investigation and the Abuse Victims/survivors. Furthermore Mr. Harper claims they are doing this "without a shred of evidence."
In this interview we are told that there is "ample evidence" to suggest that Senator Jimmy Perchard leaked a confidential police e-mail to a "journalist" while the Child Abuse Investigation was live. This evidence, claims Mr. Harper, is in the form of a tape recorded telephone call between the "journalist" and former Police Chief Mr. Graham Power QPM.
It must be said, as Mr. Harper states in the interview, that Senator Perchard denies this allegation and we have no reason to doubt either person's version. Although Mr. Harper states there is the evidence in way of a tape recording, there is always the possibility, if it did exist, that David Warcup could have destroyed it.
There is also evidence to show that Mick Gradwell leaked a confidential document to, possibly a number of "journalists." A witness, giving evidence to the ongoing Scrutiny Review told the Panel that Mr. Gradwell confessed to him, over the phone, that he did leak a document. Indeed our Home Affairs Minister has told us that an "investigation" pointed to Mr. Gradwell being the most likely culprit of the leak. Mr. Gradwell has been asked to give evidence to the on-going Scrutiny Review and to the best of our knowledge has so far not done so.
Mr. Harper, in this interview, also gives us the strongest indication yet that he believes a child, or children could have been murdered up at Haute de la Garenne, telling us that the possibility cannot be ruled out. The "lurid" stories that were printed in the NOTW, although have not been proven, by the same token, they've not been disproven either.
We are not aware of any evidence to suggest that Deputy Sean Power or Senator Ben Shenton have leaked any documents, as suggested by Mr. Harper in this video, to journalists but are aware of other dubious activities by them concerning e-mails and tape recorded telephone calls.
Will these three politicians be so keen, as Mr. Harper appears to be, to have "a Root and Branch" investigation into leaks to the media?
"Bring it on".................
Part one of this interview can be viewed HERE
Part two can be viewed HERE
Part three can be viewed HERE
January Review: Rwanda Wranglings, Post Office Scandal and Rishi’s Touching
Message to Farage
-
The political year kicked off with the Post Office scandal reignited by
*ITV*’s explosive series, putting LibDem leader Ed Davey under the
spotlight for ...
15 hours ago
VFC
ReplyDeleteDid Lenny Harper get a reply from Senator ILM about putting up or shutting up?
rs
Rico.
ReplyDeleteTo the best of my knowledge Senator Ian Le Marquand has chosen to "shut up" rather than "put up" As far as I am aware (and stand to be corrected) Mr. Harper has not had a reply to the e-mail in question.
Te e-mail in question.
ReplyDeleteDear Mr Le Marquand,
I was disturbed to see in an exchange between yourself and Deputy Pitman an allegation that despite the well evidenced and probably unlawful leaks to the Daily Mail by Senator Perchard and Mick Gradwell that you were more concerned by the fact that I purchased a meal and other hospitality for the Chief Crime Reporter of the News of the World, thus inferring that I had acted in some way improperly and, if it concerned you more than the other stated leaks, possibly illegally.
I have sought advice on this matter and have been instructed to firstly, make a few points to you, and then to seek an explanation from you. The points I wish to make are,
* In stating that you find my conduct to be more concerning than the unlawful leaks mentioned above you are seeking to infer some wrongdoing on my part. Either you are in possession of "evidence" to base this on which can only be false, or you are deliberately trying to infer I have behaved worse than this with a view to smearing myself and drawing attention away from the transgressions of Mr Perchard and Mr Gradwell.
* I have been instructed to counsel you against repeating these falsehoods without the protection afforded to you in the States.
* The News of the World reporter was one of at least eight people at that meal, which was a continuation of what Sir Hugh Orde called the other day the "proper and necessary" interactions between senior police officers and the media. Somewhere between £70 and £80 would have been spent on this journalist. This is a far cry from the sums being talked about in the NOTW/Met Police scandal which, you will well know, relates to officers RECEIVING hospitality from suspects and possibly other payments for information. If you are inferring that I have done this you should be clear and state it. I can tell you now there is no truth in that particular allegation which three of your colleagues are also trying to infer without any evidence and without the courage to say it clearly.
I would like you to answer the following questions;
1. Why do you find the fact that I used a legitimate hospitality budget to spend around £70 -£80 on a reporter in an attempt to control some of the wilder allegations the paper had been given more disturbing than the unlawful leaks of Messrs. Gradwell and Perchard?
2. What evidence do you have to support this slur, or are you simply plucking it out of thin air?
3. Why do you pretend that the only mention of the Perchard leak is the one by me in Scrutiny evidence? You will be aware that the SOJ made a formal complaint about it but the Chief Minister refused to investigate. You will also be aware of the tape recording of David Rose stating that Perchard did indeed leak the police e mail to him. There is also other evidence to support this. Why do you ignore this?
4. Seeing as you deplore leaks to the media so much, can I now assume that you will authorise a full, independent, and rigorous investigation into leaks during the HDLG enquiry which will cover the Perchard leak, the Gradwell and Warcup leaks, and of course, the "leaks" for which there is no evidence, but which you, Shenton, Perchard, and Power, all seem to be trying to infer, without having the courage (or in reality, the evidence) to actually come out and say, that I am supposed in your imagination to have instigated. I would remind you that, despite the relentless attempts by you, Gradwell, Perchard, Power, Shenton, and the JEP to dig some evidence of wrongdoing up by myself, you have come up with nothing. I now demand that you come clean with the evidence you are pretending to have when inferring that I passed information to the NOTW in the same unlawful manner as Gradwell and Perchard did to the local media and the Daily Mail.
I would hope, that unlike my last e mails to you, I receive an answer to this one. It is time you put up or shut up.
Leonard Harper
"Go With The Evidence" is the right slogan for this entire scandal. How about a blog called, "Voice For Evidence," with just that?
ReplyDeleteThere are really two areas where Lenny Harper wins hands down. Evidence and motive. Motive is almost as helpful as evidence in showing who to believe. Mr Harper is not being paid for his work, but he is still working beyond retirement for the sake of what is true and fair, on behalf of the child abuse victims. When he gave them his word he would diligently seek real justice for them, he meant he would not give up in the face of adversity.
Contrast that with the motives and the evidence on the side of his detractors. All they have are their own contradictory words and some costly, ethically questionable whitewashing reports which are absurdly redacted. They have much more selfish motives, and so much to lose if Mr Harper maintains his integrity and holds firm.
Just consider who welcomes more information, more inquiry and more availability and transparency of the actual evidence. Not those who are guilty of abuse and its concealment, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteA VERY SAD DAY IN JERSEY
ReplyDeleteTerry Le Sueur just said, on the radio, that " money is not an issue" when it comes to the investigation into the killings in St Helier...... Be on your guard Mr. Bowron and crew, Graham Power and Lenny Harper were told the same and look what was done to them.
ReplyDeleteTerry Le Sueur also said "Justice will be done" JUSTICE.....IN JERSEY? That'll be a first.
RIP the victims of this atrocity and the HDLG atrocity.
Where the hell is your sense of decency ? Attempting to link this tragedy to events which have happened before is disgraceful, and you should be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteMr. Harper was told money is no object and then they used this as a stick to beat him with.
ReplyDeleteMr. Bowron should ask for an amount spelt out in pounds shillings and pence signed by the accounting officer with overall responsibility for police budget I would even go as far as asking for a breakdown on that figure to cover uk police force flights and accomodation budget etc etc.
I trust the police sadly when the politicians and ministers involve themselves, this is where we need to pay special attention.
The words "money is not an issue", should ring alarm bells with Stuart Gull and Mike Bowron. What it means is, although we're not giving you a budget, it doesn't mean that we can't trash your reputations for going "over" the budget you haven't got.
ReplyDeleteWhat is a 'money no object' budget needed for?
ReplyDeleteThe scumbag is in custody, the motive is established, and there was no accomplice!
Case closed bar sentencing....
Weirdcop going on THE RECORD
ReplyDeleteMORE FAILURE AT JERSEY HEALTH???
ReplyDeletei find some of the comments on here ignorant and out of order and lacking understanding/compassion i have to say it ,and i read all of your blogs every day , but Neil and Ian i feel you are doing yourselves no favours with the comments below at all
ReplyDeletevoiceforchildren said...
Terry Le Sueur just said, on the radio, that " money is not an issue" when it comes to the investigation into the killings in St Helier...... Be on your guard Mr. Bowron and crew, Graham Power and Lenny Harper were told the same and look what was done to them.
Terry Le Sueur also said "Justice will be done" JUSTICE.....IN JERSEY? That'll be a first.
RIP the victims of this atrocity and the HDLG atrocity.
and
Ian Evans said...
What is a 'money no object' budget needed for?
The scumbag is in custody, the motive is established, and there was no accomplice!
Case closed bar sentencing....
The truth is often painful to hear, but sometimes things must be said, and clearly.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry if you find my words offensive but I talk black & white, no grey area's.
that maybe your truth but it is not mine, while i think it is utterly unthinkable what has happened , i just feel compassion for everyone involved , including the killer , he just was not of sane mind for a while Ian, the outcome is a total loss for everyone involved , name calling i don't feel will improve things and i feel undermines your hard work on this blog and personally puts me off and stops a lot of people reading the blogs in the first place ,at times like these i feel we need to get inspiration from above the situation and find our own understanding through it
ReplyDeleteAn eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
Mohandas Gandhi
Many people face tragedy, personal heartbreak and nervous collapse. They do not all go around slaughtering young children.
ReplyDeleteI have to say Ian that I too found the use of the words 'scumbag' and 'tosser' bang out of order.
ReplyDeleteThis man was clearly not of sound mind and to all intents and purposes a good father. Had he been afforded the protection and counselling that he should have had at his first attempt at suicide none of this might have happened.
I can personally vouch for people desperately seeking help after a suicide attempt, knowing that it was NOT safe to out in the big bad world at that moment in time. Despite begging and pleading it fell on deaf ears. A couple of years later that person succeeded.
That person was my son, and he and I were the ones begging and pleading only to be turned away.
For the sake at least of this man's poor family Ian, I think you would regain a lot more respect if you removed those two comments.
No Go Jill,
ReplyDeleteI have had many a friend kill themselves and they would never dream of being that selfish to take anyone else with them, and in such a disgusting manner.
My thoughts of the murderer are more than valid, and quite mild at that.
@Ian "I am sorry if you find my words offensive but I talk black & white, no grey area's."
ReplyDeleteMore's the pity. Everybody is mouthing off before the facts are known. And even when the facts are known, it should not be the occasion for political point-scoring.
Why are you talking about cover-ups, budgets, and making politics out of this tragedy?
From the little facts we know, it appears that the perpetrator was mentally unbalanced and had tried to kill himself at least once.
Referring to him as a 'scumbag' merely allows you to put the complexities of the situation to one side so that you can indulge in petty politics and use it as more ammunition to attack the people you have a grievance against.
This is a very complex human tragedy, and it would be better if you and others stopped speaking about it as if it was fraudulent planning application.
You are not gaining any readers or making any friends discussing it crudely, in language that even The Sun newspaper hasn't resorted to. The worst they could manage was 'hulk'.
Can we take the subject off of the tragic killings/suicide etc. for now?
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to Graham Power QPM giving evidence to the Scrutiny Panel I became even more sickened at the role of our "accredited" media.
Mr. Power brought it back to what this is all really about "Child Abuse." Not only Child Abuse but how was it able to go on FOR DECADES?
The media are climbing over themselves spending time, money and effort publishing "stories" about Lenny Harper having a prawn cocktail instead of soup of the day.
CTV won an award for reporting this sh1te and the reporter at the hearing today asked "who's Mike Kellett"?
What have ANY of the "accredited" media done to find out how it is that children in State run Institutions could be Abused for decades? What report have ANY of the "accredited" media done that could win them an award for telling the story of an Abuse victim/survivor?
This isn't about prawn cocktail and soups of the day, how much money was spent on hotel bills etc. It's about a very sick society that's allowed our children to be horrendously abused. Start reporting about that!
Do the honourable thing CTV and give that award back........You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Rob Kent, you have strayed into the outback, the path we were walking is miles away from where you are!
ReplyDeleteIan Evans
ReplyDeleteCarry on walking up that path - I, for one, do not want to be anywhere near it.
Gary
Thank you Rob for your very common sense (as always) observations on this very, very sad story.
ReplyDeleteIan, I think I know Rob well enough to know that he always speaks good sense, and I fear that this is the stage where our friendship ends because I really cannot believe that you still stand by the very blinkered view you hold.
Ever heard of the phrase ' balance of mind his disturbed'. If this were NOT the case this man would be being interviewed right now.
I can't believe this coming from you Ian.
I too was sickened by the so called independent reporting of ctv tonight ,how they can sit there and spout about overspending ,revealing only half truths had me raging tonight.Who do contact to make them report all the facts,not just what they want the public to believe,as for the reporters,how do they live with themselves,I cannot believe they are so ignorant of the true situation!
ReplyDelete“I cannot believe they are so ignorant of the true situation!”
ReplyDeleteThey are not ignorant of the facts, they just don’t want the public to know them. They are, in my opinion, a disgrace to “journalism” and an enemy to the Abuse Survivors.
Our friendship ends?
ReplyDeleteAaaah, more victims of this "scumbag" !!! you people really cannot see the wood for the tree's can you?
You really cannot meet every tragedy in life with that foregiving attitude, it never works.
Enough said, Goodbye Jill, nice one Rob, hope you are proud of yourselves....And remember your pledge :)
Ian "Rob Kent, you have strayed into the outback, the path we were walking is miles away from where you are!"
ReplyDeleteIan, this blog and others have done amazing work in uncovering the truth behind the HdlG cover-up, and I have supported them and Stuart all down the line.
Linking the murders at the weekend to anything else is just plain wrong. Even if current (and ex-) politicians have said stupid or inadvisable things, even if there does turn out to be a political dimension related to the psychiatric support the alleged murderer received, even if... anything: now is not the time to even discuss that or make crude links to anything that happened in the past, related to HdlG.
To quote you from your own blog:
"Pryke and our disgusting government are the ones to blame!!! Simple as."
If that is not making political capital out of a human tragedy, I'd like to know what is. You are leaping to conclusions and blaming people you already detest without any evidence.
But even if you had the evidence, now is not the time to even be discussing it. The whole community is shocked and riven by what has happened and it will take many people years to come to terms with that. The families and friends of those poor people never will come to terms with it.
There is no political moral to be drawn from this. It is not ammunition for you to berate your enemies. Just stay silent on the subject, out of respect for the dead, and the living. Please.
'Big Trev' brilliant tonight. If only we had more like him. My question is this. Will the States be paying this outrageous sum for people who can be compelled, and rightly so, to give Scrutiny evidence just like anyone else?
ReplyDelete"Can we take the subject off of the tragic killings/suicide etc. for now?"
ReplyDeleteWell said VFC!!
I happen to agree with Rob Kent, though.
I wish I could have heard Graham Power's testimony. I met this gentlemen a few times some years ago when he was Police Chief and developed a healthy respect for his intellect, his experience and, above all, his honesty and integrity. There is no doubt in my mind that he was treated shabbily on a personal basis. However, the even more serious aspect of that ill-treatment was the motive behind it. Put simply, this was to get him out of the way so that the abuse investigation could be brought back under political control - and look what happened!
Was GP's evidence filmed? When will the transcript be available?
Keep it up VFC. Your well-balanced reporting is much appreciated.
Where can we read updates about the Scrutiny Panel and witness statements?
ReplyDeleteElle
Ian, on your last blog posting you offered help to a women that admits nearly killed her husband. Had she, in that state of mind killed her husband would you have still offered that help?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have been able to as she would have been in custody!
ReplyDeleteNot the point though, the point is that she did not do what was on her mind as she had obviously not forgotten the basic rules of humanity. And....that's the point!
Furthermore, I offered the help from voluntary friends so that situation may never arise, pre-planning if you like.
ReplyDeleteSomething that the States of Jersey never enguages in! They are that stupid they cannot see that prevention is better than cure.
Anyhoo, enough of this crap.
ReplyDeletePEOPLE HAVE MADE THEIR CHOICES TODAY, that will do for me.
The most promenant position that any man can hold, is to know where they stand with others :) End Of
Funnily enough, Word V "DUMMO" OOOOh, the ironybof it all.
To an earlier question. I don't have film of today's hearing. I deleted the film I took yesterday of David Warcup's evidence. The audio quality is terrible from the phone connection with the witnesses.
ReplyDeleteThe transcripts will be up on the Scrutiny Website soon and I will post a link to them as soon as I know they are there.
The transcripts will give readers a good indication to just how much the "accredited" media are not telling us!
VFC
ReplyDeleteThanks! I didn't want to add to your workload or Rico's but I just didn't understand the context of some blog comments regarding the amount BDO wanted to charge for answering Scrutiny questions, and I did not know what happened during recent witness testimony. I will TRY to be a little more patient. ;)
Thank you so much for all you do.
Elle
Elle.
ReplyDeleteIt’s not a problem, and it’s no trouble. Thanks for your interest.
Ian, "Not the point though, the point is that she did not do what was on her mind as she had obviously not forgotten the basic rules of humanity."
ReplyDeleteIan, the trouble with seeing everything in 'black and white' and 'simple as' terms is that you cannot see the contradiction of your own statements.
You firstly say that the government is to blame for not giving the guy the treatment he needed, and then you call him a scumbag. Both of those cannot be true. If someone becomes psychotic or insane because they don't receive medical treatment, you cannot describe them as active moral agents.
And this is not about being in any camp, having allegiances, taking sides, or swearing pledges. Just because I agree with you on one subject doesn't mean I agree with you on everything. That would be idiotic.
The worst thing you can do in this situation is to start blaming people and using intemperate language. Before you know it, you will have race riots and all sorts of other nasty consequences.
This is a human tragedy - nothing to do with me or you. That's my last word on the subject unless you want to email me.
Rob
Ah, I think I now undersrtand what people in Jersey were discussing. I have accessed the poor CTV coverage of Scrutiny that commenters were complaining about on blogs and their video is now available to view online in the USA. It was blocked for a year or so, for some reason. What incredible bias they display!
ReplyDeleteElle
If the States pay BDO.
ReplyDeleteI hope Lenny, Graham and Rico get their bills in pretty sharpish.
Ian, this "black and white" stuff is an indicator of an inflexible mind. Sometimes the old cliche about shades of grey really does apply.
ReplyDeleteI do believe you can be so mentally ill that those basic human morals can go out of the window. Will we ever know just what was going through his mind? I dread to think.
Jill, Rob and others,
ReplyDeletePerhaps, with this fresh perspective, you can now appreciate how others have viewed Ian's involvement in events over recent years, and the damage it has actually done to everybody's cause. I cautioned about this early on, but was shouted down. I take no satisfaction at all in being proven right.
It saddens me that I have to post this anonymously, but when involving oneself with a person with a history of threatening and violent behaviour, there are always ramifications.
The question still stands "were children murdered at HDLG"?
ReplyDeleteYou are all turning against Ian because he calls a child killer a scumbag.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I do not have friends like you people, you should all be ashamed of yourselves.
I don't expect to see this posted on your site but I wanted to tell you what I thought of you all.
There's no way someone can murder 6 people including their own children and stab themself too without being astoundingly disturbed.
ReplyDeleteI hope you never suffer from a mental illness, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.
I really expected Ian to understand.
The human mind is capable of bizarre behaviours when things aren't working normally, and I can quite understand how this kind of tragedy is possible - although obviously this doesn't "excuse" it as such. Society failed in its duty of care to ALL the victims involved here.
I'm fed up with hearing about it to be honest. It's a random tragedy that the local media are capitalising upon to fill airtime, and that's sickening.
A mentally ill man committed an evil act. We may never understand why. What remains is that a bunch of individual bloggers have been able to expose the rot that is the Jersey power structure, and they have done so in a surprisingly cooperative manner. What the elite do that keeps them in power is they mostly stick together in public.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a tragedy for many more people if those who are struggling to bring transparency to a corrupt paedoprotecting authority allow themselves to be divided on matters of irrelevant emotion-based opinion. Everyone may have strong opinions, but in the case of the mentally ill man, it is too late for the many different personal views to help matters.
Please, VFC, do not allow your valuable blog to be used for divisive personality politics. Nothing will be settled or gained. No one will benefit. Child abuse victims and those who support justice for them will be drawn into the downward spiral. There is too much at stake.
Couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteThe "REAL" Power Of Troll's!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Rob and Jill, you have done the oligarchies work for them
ReplyDeleteit's horribly ironic that this should happen over a child killer-
whatever his state of mind
you both could have made your feelings known to Ian privately
devided we lose
c
Re "you both could have made your feelings known to Ian privately"
ReplyDeleteI don't know 'Ian' as a private individual. I was replying to a comment on a blog.
Blogs are all about the public exchange of opinions. They are not about personal relationships and, for me at least, they are not about belonging to a group, swearing a pledge, or joining a club.
When somebody makes public statements on a blog, anyone has the right to disagree with that on the same blog.
VFC and Ian both made connections between the murders at the weekend and the HdlG issue, which I happen to think was wrong and ill-advised.
It was wrong not just for the reasons I gave above but because it has the potential to alienate and disgust a lot of people who otherwise support what this blog and others have achieved with regards to HdlG.
People are allowed to disagree. I might agree with you on one subject but not another. It's not an act of betrayal - it is the basis of free debate.
If people do not like that, or are too thin-skinned to deal with criticism, they should not engage in public debate. Instead, they should, as you suggest, share their opinions privately, verbally or by email.
PS I am not talking about attacking people personally, like a lot of trolls do on these sites. I am talking about discussing ideas, facts, and opinions - things which are a subject for debate. I'm just not interested in people's personalities.
Ian's latest small-hours blog posting seems to have vanished.
ReplyDeletePity you can cut and paste the link into Google and then read it from their cache :)
- not stirring, it's handy to know what has upset someone so we can find a way to move forward.
In future try not to write in anger, Ian, compose a draft and then see how it looks in the cold light of day later. I assume we're all big enough to understand, and we'll let it pass.
We know how emotionally draining all this is, so let's all regroup and continue to support the good cause. Now's no time to squabble, with the election coming up.
I can only but endorse exactly what Rob has said 'c'.
ReplyDeleteIf Ian is not prepared to accept a different viewpoint to his then he also should not be airing views on a blog. When you do that you are leaving yourself wide open to a broad spectrum of opinion. Surely this is what blogs are all about?
This is a very, real human tragedy and I stand by the fact that school ground name calling should not form part of any comment about it.
I am at a loss to know how myself or Rob 'have done the oligarch's work for them'. This has been a very immotive subject and I am sure there will be as much division amongst the public and 'oligarch's' on this subject matter as there has been on the blogs.
I stand by every word I said, and hopefully we are all adult enough to draw a line under this and move on to other things.
I did not write in anger, and I stand by everything in that posting. Stuart emailed me and asked if I would please take it down for the sake of the cause.
ReplyDeleteReluctantly, I agreed....