Thursday, 10 October 2013

School Shooting in Jersey Exclusive. (Update).


A little short of a month ago VFC published another Blogger (Jersey’s only independent media) exclusive.

We brought you the story from the mother of a child who was allegedly shot in the face by a teacher at his school using a Starting Pistol indoors at a five a side football match.

The teacher was fined £1,000 in the Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to discharging an imitation firearm although it is still a mystery as to why the teacher was not charged with assault, Actual Bodily Harm.

VFC is horrified, and appalled, to learn that after a so-called “internal” investigation, at the Education Department, the teacher is now back teaching at the school.

What kind of a message does this send out to parents, and the wider world? In our original reporting of this TRAGIC CASE a number of questions were asked and still remain unanswered, not least this; “what really has changed in child protection since the Haut de la Garenne/Savile cover-up? How much safer are our children now and how better represented are they when up against a States Department?”

It would appear that no lessons have been learnt since the Haut de la Garenne/Savile cover-up and the Education Department STILL won’t take child protection issues seriously.

It is inconceivable to believe a teacher can discharge an imitation firearm, at an indoor five a side football match, which causes a child to be taken to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department, be found guilty of the offence in the Magistrates Court and still keep his job.

Who conducted this “internal” investigation? What was its Terms Of Reference? Why wasn’t it an external and independent investigation? Considering all the alleged failings in this case has ANYBODY been held to account and if not why not?

We must remember that the “incident” occurred in the second lesson of the day yet the mother wasn’t informed of it until the child came home from school and told her himself. Why was the headmaster not told about the incident until the mother told him when she found out? Why didn’t the school take the child to A&E? How are parents supposed to have confidence that their child is safe at school when this sort of behavior (apparent worthless “internal” investigations) is still happening in light of the Haute de la Garenne/Savile atrocities/cover-ups?

Why isn’t the State Media reporting on this or asking any questions? Who IS asking questions besides Bloggers (Jersey’s only independent media)?

Despite Jersey being at the centre of a major Child abuse cover-up, and attempting to raise its profile on the international/world stage as an open transparent and trustworthy jurisdiction, it is clear that NO lessons have been learnt and child protection issues remain as they always have……….non existent and so-called “investigations” are still conducted “in-house” with no outside scrutiny.

Speaking of scrutiny why is the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel so quiet on this issue? Who in Jersey will stand up, speak out, for its children if they won't?

If you believe child protection is taken any more seriously now than it was pre- Savile/HDLG you might want to think again?

Part one of this story can be read HERE

33 comments:

  1. wtf

    I could simply cry tears of terror

    ReplyDelete
  2. Its not up to you to decide whether this teacher is given his job back and what right have you to judge people like this anyway?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. “Its not up to you to decide whether this teacher is given his job back”

      All’s the pity because he wouldn’t have been allowed within a hundred miles of a school if the decision were mine.

      What right do I have to judge? I have children and worry about their safety at the hands of the Jersey administration and as any concerned parent the welfare/safety of my, and all children, is a priority.

      Delete
    2. This has nothing to do with Jimmy Savile and the Court even accepted it was a prank that went wrong.
      You talk about Kangaroo courts yet you can't help doing it yourself to others.

      Delete
    3. The court accepted it was a “prank?” the court accepted that it would be funny to take a starting pistol into an indoor environment full of children? Being a Jersey court that’s probably about right.

      Delete
    4. For which the student according to the paper did not want him charged.
      I really think this harassment of people by blogs such as yours has to stop because this incident has been dealt with so it is time for the School, the teacher and the student to move on.

      Delete
    5. The very attitude that enabled Savile/HDLG displayed in all its glory. Nothing to see here so let’s move on.

      So, from the main posting;

      “Who conducted this “internal” investigation? What was its Terms Of Reference? Why wasn’t it an external and independent investigation? Considering all the alleged failings in this case has ANYBODY been held to account and if not why not?”

      You MUST have all those answers so please share them with us?

      Delete
  3. This is simply extraordinary.

    This cannot be left unchallenged.

    This goes far, far further than this one case.

    Do the people of Jersey want accountability and responsibility on the part of the island's public authorities - because at the moment no such effective accountability exists.

    Does this community want more of the government it deserves - or does it now recognise that the time has come to start deserve something better?

    If not, children will carry-on being deliberately - deliberately, note - shot in the face with starting-pistols - by teachers - who the Jersey oligarchy are quite happy to permit to continue to teach.

    You couldn't make this up.

    Stuart

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  4. I know of an incident locally involving two children who's father kept a loaded pistol under his pillow, and according to the children on several occasions held the loaded pistol to their heads while they were in bed, the authorities were informed nothing was done about him, and he ended up getting a job as a school caretaker,

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  5. '...a PE teacher at Le Rocquier School, was taking a PE lesson in the gym when he discharged the imitation gun, the Magistrate’s
    Court was told. Although the pistol was aimed away from the pupils, one boy suffered minor injuries in the incident.'
    Don't let the facts (deliberately shot in the face?) get in the way of a typically hate-filled, truth-starved and agenda-driven piece of "citizen journalist" blog nonsense. If you people were not vaguely amusing, you would be mildly
    dangerous...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One gets the impression that article was copied and pasted from the discredited and disgraced Jersey Evening Post and you have the nerve to criticise “citizen journalists?"

      In said disgraced “news”paper it writes;

      “Although the pistol was aimed away from the pupils, one boy suffered minor injuries in the incident.”

      Please explain, from this amazing piece of “journalism” how the child managed to get injured if the gun was pointed away from him?

      Delete
  6. The comment at 15:37 is alarming. Is this the Jersey problem you so often talk about VFC.

    "...a PE teacher at Le Rocquier School, was taking a PE lesson in the gym when he discharged the imitation gun, the Magistrate’s
    Court was told. Although the pistol was aimed away from the pupils, one boy suffered minor injuries in the incident.'

    The Magistrate's Court was told.. Who is the quote from. The defence or prosecution if you get my drift..

    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quite right, the court was "told" it didn't "conclude." But when did the JEP ever let the facts get in the way of a typically hate-filled, truth-starved and agenda-driven piece of " journalism?"

      Delete
  7. A teacher takes a starting pistol to a 5 a side match and discharges it are you kidding me!!!!!!!!!!

    That one action tells me they are unfit to teach children of any age

    ReplyDelete
  8. What action have the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny panel taken on this shocking incident? Let us not forget how it was coverd up in the begining. I would find it strange if they haven't started an urgent investigation into this horrific shooting.

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  9. What plausible reason could there be for having a starter pistol at a 5 a-side football game indoors!?

    ReplyDelete
  10. All we need to finalise the incident, is the old, lessons have been learnt.

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    Replies
    1. Whats this teachers name, was it reported in the media?

      Delete
    2. I would like to keep the teacher’s name out of it for the time being.

      Delete
    3. Full credit for not naming the teacher and upholding a professional standard otherwise you would have tha apologists accusing to of a witch hunt and ignoring the gross failings which are still taking place with child protection issues.

      Delete
  11. "What plausible reason could there be for having a starter pistol at a 5 a-side football game indoors!?"

    And there lies the problem. The teacher, one would imagine, has undergone a psychiatric assessment before being allowed back into teaching. The nature of the incident is totally unacceptable. This incident has exposed the children, the cover up nature of the staff, the handling of the entire incident by the school and not least the abject failure of Education and it's Scrutiny Panel. I don't think people have grasped the magnitude of what really happened here.

    ReplyDelete
  12. LINK

    ABINGDON, Va. — A teacher at William H. Neff Center, a career and technical school, was charged with 12 felony counts of brandishing a firearm on school property after he allegedly lined students up against a classroom wall and fired a starter pistol at them, execution-style.

    Manuael Earnest Dillow reportedly lined the students up near a garage door in the school’s welding shop, ABC News reports. He then pulled a starter pistol from the waistband of his pants that looked like a real gun, according to police.

    Dillow was suspended without pay by the school system.

    Read the full story.

    ReplyDelete
  13. http://education.qld.gov.au/health/pdfs/healthsafety/starting-pistols.pdf

    Australian article.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am sure that the citizens of Dunblane will be most encouraged by this news!!!

    On another topic now. The Justice Select Committee, my evidence finally GETS PUBLISHED, but your didn't?

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is yet another post which you have made that's not had any counter comment, feedback or discussion with the other party (ies).
    Where do you ever get any balance?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It might interest you to know, that at time of publication, and despite the small amount of coverage the State Media gave the original story none of the State Media contacted the mother, I did and this is the balance.

      Delete
    2. Ah, you are asking for voluntary false equivalence from VFC. If an independent journalist facilitates evidence-based discussion of the geologic surface of the moon, does he owe it to you to give equal time to a silly opinion about green cheese? No. He doesn't. And there is no more reality-based evidence in your views than in the myth the moon is just green cheese.

      Elle

      Delete
  16. I would love to know for sure who the anonymous commenter is who wants to push all this under the carpet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Under the carpet, do you not follow the local news no?

      Delete
    2. Must have missed it. Has the State Media reported that the teacher is back at school, how (and who by) the decision was made to allow the teacher back to school? Has it reported what input the mother and child had to the “internal” investigation, what its Terms of Reference were, how many witnesses were interviewed, who they were? Please send a link to the article?

      Delete
  17. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/hillsborough-freemason-cops-banned-working-2366200#.UlpAsZ2Nduw.twitter

    ReplyDelete
  18. "Court even accepted it was a prank that went wrong" - I have read it differently, it was intimidation and reckless and stupid and dangerous, I guess those must be credits of a worthy teacher!

    ReplyDelete