Operation "Invicta", A conspiracy theory and A Promise.

Although VFC has built up a reputation for delivering hard evidenced facts that are generally covered up by the State Media we thought we would break from tradition and give our readers, what "might" be described as, a "Conspiracy Theory."

There has been many a conspiracy theory peddled, predominantly by the State Media, ever since former Deputy Chief Police officer Lenny Harper, and former Chief Police Officer Graham Power QPM blew the lid off of, what has been described as "Jersey's Dirty Secret." The Dirty Secret being the abuse of children, in State run institutions, and elsewhere, that was able to carry on for DECADES in Jersey.

Since the "lifting of the lid" we have witnessed smear campaigns against Mr. Harper and Mr. Power, misinformation and half truths peddled by State Media, and others, and conspiracy theories galore.

VFC, and other Bloggers (Jersey's only independent media) have, with documented evidence, provided its readers with the fuller picture and truth behind the "stories" told by the local Press, whether it be the Gradwell assertion that there were no cellars at HAUT DE LA GARENNE or the nonsense peddled by the State Media that the alleged Child's Skull fragment unearthed at HDLG was apparently a piece of COCONUT that contained 1.6% collagen (only found in mammals).

In short we have provided some facts behind the myths concerning the Child Abuse atrocities and left the conspiracy theories to the State Media.

In this posting we offer our readers a theory (conspiracy or otherwise) that the Jersey Establishment have been trying to nail both Lenny Harper, and Graham Power, with anything they can get to stick since the Child Abuse revelations and we concentrate this posting on how this apparent desperation to get something to stick against Graham Power QPM could involve the Curtis Warren Case, the three Police Officers who have just been cleared of any wrong doing concerning the alleged illegal bugging of a car used in the conspiracy to import drugs into Jersey, the parts played by key players such as Chief Police Officer Mike Bowron, former Acting Chief Police Officer David Warcup and others.

Regular readers will know that during the live Child Abuse Investigation Former Police Chief Graham Power was (illegally?) suspended from duty by the then Home Affairs Minister Andrew Lewis. The whole suspension was a complete shambles and the Jersey Establishment found themselves in a mess, of their own creation, and realised this suspension could not stand up to any scrutiny and they will need to find another way/reason/excuse to keep the Chief Officer suspended. Andrew Lewis retired from politics and was replaced by Senator Ian Le Marquand at Home Affairs. To cut a long story short Ian Le Marquand managed to suspend Mr. Power AGAIN and REFUSED to look at the original suspension by Andrew Lewis..........Job done?

The discredited Wiltshire Constabulary were tasked with (to coin a phrase) getting "something to stick" against Mr. Power so he could be disciplined over his actions, or in-actions during the Child Abuse Inquiry, thus justifying the suspension and discrediting Mr. Power and the Child Abuse Investigation. 
After the costly, bungled and FAILED attempt to discipline Mr. Power over the Abuse Inquiry, and yes it did fail, nobody should believe the rubbish about "running out of time" after two and a half years, and countless missed deadlines, it was strung out until Mr. Power retired because they knew that it would not stand up to any independent adjudication.

 
After that the Establishment STILL needed something to stick so they trawled through old cases and came up with the "Warren Inquiry" and the bugging of the car. Previously the Home Affairs Minister, Senator Ian Le Marquand and even  Warcup himself had said, words to the effect that it was a great operation and worthy of commendations for the police. So the Establishment were in a bit of a quandary. But no worries just get the new  Chief Police Officer Mike Bowron or THE CHOSEN ONE to find a reason to change tack and set off a criminal investigation designed to nail Mr. Power for, let's say, conspiring to pervert the course of justice or perjury? Granted they might not find anything jail-worthy but at the very least surely Mr. Power could be banged up for a couple of days for "questioning." That would teach him to defy the Jersey Establishment and it could set an example to others who might be thinking of "Stepping Out Of Line."
 
But like so many of their half thought out and hair brained ideas it had a flaw. Mr. Power was now living in England. No trouble you might think given that it was an English force (Hampshire) who were to do the Inquiry ?
 
Hampshire Police are an English Force so do not have any jurisdiction to investigate alleged crimes in Jersey. That is the territory of the Jersey Police. But not to worry, once they are formally invited to investigate a Jersey matter as official "mutual aid" to the Jersey Force they become temporary Jersey Officers with the full powers and privileges of the Jersey Officer but as Jersey Officers their police powers are confined to Jersey. So if they are Hants officers they cannot investigate Mr. Power for matters occurring in Jersey and if they are temporary Jersey Officers they can investigate Mr. Power as much as they want so long as they stay in Jersey. But as soon as they step outside of the Jersey they lose that authority.  So exactly what can they do about someone in England who they want to "pull" in relation to matters in Jersey? Well not a lot as it turned out.
 
If you (the reader) are a little confused over all of this don't worry. It took Hampshire Police and the States of Jersey Police MONTHS to work it out! Probably when they did "finally" work it out they thought "what a bu--er."

So in the end a nice Assistant Chief Constable from Hampshire might have written Mr. Power a nice letter asking him if he would be an awfully decent chap and volunteer to be interviewed as a criminal suspect in relation to "Operation Invicta." (if it exists) Mr. Power might have written him an awfully decent reply saying "thanks but not thanks." 
 
That left them with the option of applying to London for authority to pull Mr. Power in England but given that such a formal application might require something as boring as actual "evidence" then that proved to be a bit of a sticky point.  
 
After a while Mr. Power "might" have received a letter from Hampshire Police telling him he had no case to answer, or to coin a phrase "couldn't get anything to stick"............................AGAIN!
 
So what to do now? They trump up disciplinary allegations against officers who worked with Mr. Power (during his tenure as Chief Officer) and might have been careless enough to confess that they did not think that he was the devil incarnate the Establishment want him to be and that Mr. Power might even have sometimes knew what he was doing as a 42 year Police Veteran decorated by the Queen. We offer the theory that the hope was that the three Police Officers would confess and say that they only did what they did (bugging the Curtis Warren Gang Members car) because the evil Mr. Power told them to and that they were too scared to do otherwise. That might provide enough material, or evidence for Mr. Power to be denounced and discredited or would/could get "something to stick!"
 
Some of the accused retired but three remained and by some means or another they acquired the nerve and determination to fight it out. In spite of all "offers" and other pressures, such as a trumped up suspension of Minty for not attending a meeting. They held out and when it came to that thing which the Jersey establishment fears, a truly independent hearing, all disciplinary allegations were thrown out for the trash that they were.
 
As the title of this posting states we offer this information in the form of a conspiracy theory. Readers are entitled to make up their own minds as to whether there is any truth in it, or not. Similarly readers might think that we have people on the INSIDE.

Of course one way of helping to prove this all IS a conspiracy theory is for the Hampshire, Investigation, Judgement/Report to be made public. What could the Establishment have to fear? Everybody's innocent aren't they? Everything is above board isn't it? There's nobody left to "blame" is there? God forbid that the Law Offices might have been less than blameless!

It is sometimes said that all conspiracy theories should be strangled at birth and we agree. Well with this one the Jersey Establishment has an opportunity to do just that. We PROMISE that if the judgement in the disciplinary case is published in full and if it shows that, notwithstanding the outcome, the disciplinary Inquiry and hearing were fully justified on solid evidential and professional grounds, then we will publically RETRACT our conspirary theory and APOLOGISE for any offence caused. So come on Senator Ian Le Marquand, Minister for Home Affairs, here is an open public offer. Your big chance to get one back at the Bloggers. Just publish the document and prove us wrong. And we promise to grovel..................