Saturday 28 May 2016

P.19/2016 A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.



P.19/2016.


On the 14 June 2016 one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation ever to have been brought to the Island's Parliament (and there have been a few) is expected to get voted through unanimously.

The Proposition (P.19/2016) was submitted under the name of the Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, signed by Assistant Chief Minister, Senator Philip Ozouf. Although all sorts of other propositions, and protocols, have been brought forward, by a number of different bodies/politicians in the past in an attempt to silence Blogsites, this is the latest incarnation.

In theory this piece of legislation, when passed, could also silence the mainstream/accredited/State Media (MSM). It seeks to make a criminal out of anyone who offends anyone online including the MSM. That is to say that if the BBC, or the JEP (the latter having an online comment section on its website) broadcast/print something about a friend of mine (or yours) and our friend DOESN'T find it offensive but you and I DO  then we (according to what Philip Ozouf has said) can go to the police and make a criminal complaint against the BBC/JEP and it could be charged. The same goes for all media including ITV/CTV etc.

Of course we know, in reality this is utter nonsense, any complaint made against the media, to the cops, will be ignored and the cops will tell the complainant to take it up with the media's regulatory body. (even if it is unfit for purpose or non-existent.)

Where are the media, the journalist, in all this? Why aren't they speaking out against it? The Media should be challenging government and speaking up not only for the little guy, but for themselves. As something as important as free speech they should be campaigning hard against this draconian law. Their silence  deafening.

We, as responsible online Bloggers, argue there is no need for this law/proposition because there are adequate harassment/libel/defamation and not least Data Protection laws. The four proxies who, through the data Protection Commissioner, were able to bring a court case against former Health Minister, and Whistle-Blower Stuart Syvret. The court case had the added bonus (for the proxies) of being held in secret so the proxies didn't have to go through the added "stress and harm" of having the allegations made against them public. The court case was brought under the guise that what Mr. Syvret said about them, online, caused them "stress" and "harm." Being offended on the internet can/will bring stress and harm so there is no need for this law because any alleged victim can go to the Data Protection Commissioner with their complaint and have their court costs paid for by the taxpayer.......All in total (not so) secret.

Former AG and current Deputy Bailiff 
Tim Le Cocq.

VFC filled in the online survey published before the proposition was tabled and it mostly covered internet sites geared up for children. snapchat/Bebo/Facebook etc. If this legislation is supposed to deter children from bullying other children online then why is it that children between the ages of 14-18 will almost certainly NOT be prosecuted? This little nugget came about from answers given at the Scrutiny Review Hearing (Thurs 26th May) where the Chief Minister and Home Affairs Minister were being questioned, although it was a member of the Law Office who was doing all the answering and there really was no need for either Minister to be there. Indeed it was the former Attorney General, (Tim Le Cocq)? who dreamed up this proposition so instead of sending one of his minions to the Scrutiny Hearing why didn't he turn up himself?

It has been stated that there is next to no chance of any 14-18 year old being charged with any crime as a result of this law. In fact the worst that can be expected to happen is they will appear before a Parish Hall Inquiry. That's not all together a bad thing because children should not have to be criminalised, but I thought this law was to protect children online? Where's the deterrent? But we know it's not being brought to protect children, it's being brought to silence political dissent and Blogs.

Former Deputies Trevor and Shona Pitman

Jersey's alleged corrupt and politicised judiciary has history in financially ruining those who have spoken out against the government, former Deputies Trevor/Shona Pitman, Stuart Syvret and possibly many others (we can't know how many secret court cases there have been). The legislation allows for a two-year prison sentence and an UNLIMITED fine. As became apparent at the Scrutiny Hearing, the fine imposed will be reflective of the crime and NOT the ability to pay. So the person writing the "offensive" comment online can be financially ruined for life as well as imprisoned for two years. It also became apparent at the Scrutiny hearing that the legislation seeks to approve two years in prison AND (not or) an unlimited fine.

This is a scary piece of legislation that will kill what very little free speech this island has left. Far from being a protection/deterrent for children against online bullying it is the latest tool being used to shut down free speech..........It's a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.

Readers should also be interested in this comment from TOM GRUCHY.

Submitted by Team Voice.


Monday 23 May 2016

Lenny Harper Responds.





As the Jersey Establishment (and parts of its media) has recently upped the smear campaign against former top cop and Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) of Jersey's Child Abuse Investigation (Operation Rectangle). Lenny Harper has (reluctantly) issued a brief response (below) to some of the criticisms levelled against him and makes a couple of observations of his own.

For those following Jersey's ongoing Child Abuse Committee of Inquiry (COI), you will be aware that "Interested Parties" (IP's) were recently given the opportunity to make final submissions, to the Inquiry Panel, based on the evidence given to the COI by witnesses/Survivors/Victims etc.

As reported HERE by Rico Sorda the Jersey Establishment took (abused?) this opportunity to carry out an all out attack on those who lifted the lid on Jersey's dirty secret(s), exposed the scale of paedophilia on the island, and attempted to bring the Survivors/Victims something close to "justice." This attack was dutifully regurgitated by the State Media, and as far as we are aware, totally unchallenged.




Former SIO Lenny Harper.


Response from former SIO Lenny Harper.

"The past few weeks at the Committee of Inquiry into Child Abuse in Jersey has seen a succession of closing statements by various people and organisations. I chose not to present a closing statement as I believe that I said all I had to say in my evidence and that a further statement, which of necessity would have had to include rebuttals of some of the nonsense written about myself, would only further divert attention away from the victims/survivors and also detract from the main issues. These of course, being the abuse suffered by innocent children at the hands of the States of Jersey, and the disgraceful treatment handed out to them when they tried to report that abuse.

It did not come as a surprise to me, nor I suspect, to any of the victims/survivors or those who have been following the inquiry evidence, that once again, many of those failed organisations or individuals who were implicated in the actions of those organisations, totally ignored the suffering of victims or at best paid lip service to it. Instead they launched a repeat of the attacks on myself and others who had tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to obtain some measure of justice for those victims. Once again, the plight of the innocent victims took second place to an attempted character assassination of the people who had challenged them and refused to give in to their bullying. The same sort of bullying I notice, to which the Inquiry team were subjected to in the very recent past. It may be now that the Inquiry knows exactly the sort of treatment we were talking about when we said that the Jersey establishment came for whoever dared to stand up against them.

As I stated, I do not wish to present a new rebuttal of all the nonsense which would only entail an extension of the slanging match and erode further the focus on the abuse of children. However, there are two factually incorrect assertions made against me which show the desperate nature and intent of the establishment response to being caught out, and I will briefly mention those.



Mick Gradwell.


One of my successors, Mr Gradwell, made part of his closing statement, an allegation that myself and a well known and respected BBC journalist were in a corrupt relationship and that I had been giving him “off the record” briefings during which confidential police information was passed to him. Let me say straight away that nothing improper took place between myself and that BBC journalist. I did indeed meet him away from the environment of formal press briefings, always in public places, and never to discuss information he should not have had. Such meetings are a common occurrence. Indeed, the journalist when told of Mr Gradwell’s ridiculous claims contacted me and during the conversation confirmed that he and Mr Gradwell had also met at a service station in the UK where a similar briefing took place. It seems just a little hypocritical of Mr Gradwell to mention one without the other.

The other matter was the statement by counsel for the States of Jersey police claiming that the force now regretted appointing me to the investigation. My first impulse was to say well, of course they did. It exposed levels of abuse which for one reason or another had been suppressed in the past. However, I then saw the bizarre side of it. No one anywhere near the SOJP now had any part in appointing me. Graham Power appointed me initially, and then on the advice of the UK ACPO Homicide Working Group, reinforced that appointment on a full time basis. As far as I am aware, Mr Power has not been asked that question. Why state that you regret a decision you played absolutely no part in? It can only have been a ruse to raise further sensational headlines in a media only too willing to swallow it whole.

The SOJP lawyer claimed I had “done the victims a disservice.” Perhaps I did. They do not seem to be in much of a better position now than before the investigation I was part of. However, I have not heard it from any of them and I would pay more heed to the words of the victims/survivors than to the mouthpiece of an establishment trying to deflect from the issues.

These closing statements we have been listening to should have been an opportunity to focus closely on the abuse suffered by innocent children, abuse which has had far reaching implications in the adult lives of those treated so badly. Instead, once again, those victims and their suffering have been largely ignored or marginalised. Elements of the establishment have again turned their invective on myself and others who were doing their best to obtain justice for the victims.

This should not be about us. It was never supposed to be. The agenda of the inquiry was hi-jacked by desperate people who sought to protect their reputations at the expense of those who had been abused and ignored. I sincerely hope that the inquiry when coming to report will realise the reason for the diversionary tactics and blatant disregard of the very people that we should all have been trying to help.

Following decades of this abuse being ignored and even encouraged it seems to me that even now, the victims/survivors are in no better position than they were. The Jersey establishment and their friends in sections of the local media are still attempting to hide their failings rather than facing up to what went wrong. They are still attacking those who seek to challenge those failings. It does not affect me greatly here in the UK in retirement. My heart goes out to those in Jersey and elsewhere who still have to live with the ramifications of the vile abuse they were subjected to.


Lenny Harper."(END.)

As Mr. Harper has explained; It is (or should be) about Victims/Survivors of heinous crimes committed against them as children and how it shouldn't be able to happen again........It's Not......And it CAN.


Wednesday 18 May 2016

Adrian Lynch. States of Jersey Police Press Release.




Below is the latest Press Release issued by the States of Jersey Police (SOJP) concerning the search, and investigation, into the disappearance of 20 year-old Adrian Lynch who went missing on 4th/5th December 2015 after attending a work's Christmas Party at the Merton Hotel.

SOJP Press Release.

Adrian Lynch - Answering Your Questions.

Introduction

A lot of information has circulated regarding Adrian’s disappearance and the investigation, both factual and false. A number of recurring themes of questioning have also appeared via traditional and social media forums and this overview is intended to publicly inform and consolidate on the current status. The States of Jersey Police (SoJP) have been open and transparent in the information they have provided to the public and recognise the benefit in providing a comprehensive update.

Adrian’s clothing and items

On the night of his disappearance, Adrian was wearing a blue River Island two piece suit, brown belt, white shirt, white t-shirt and black slip-on shoes. He was believed to be in possession of his passport for proof of age purposes, having recently lost his driving license and he would have had two keys on a single ring with no fob – one a key to a Ford Fiesta, and the other an ordinary Yale door key. He also wore a white and yellow gold signet ring encrusted with a diamond.


Adrian’s movements

Adrian had spent the evening of Friday 4th December 2015 at a combined electrical contractors’ Christmas function at the Merton Hotel. He had consumed a quantity of alcohol and was intoxicated. A colleague arranged for a taxi to collect and take him home, and Adrian left by taxi at about ten minutes to midnight. It is believed that a misunderstanding over the address however led to Adrian being dropped off at the junction of La Rue and La Ruette D’Avranches (halfway between the Six Rues and Carrefour Selous junctions) with Adrian indicating he lived very close nearby. He was actually over a kilometre south of his home address.

He had his phone and wallet in his hand as he got out of the taxi, and these were located the following morning on the road surface in La Ruette just a few metres away from where he got out of the taxi. Although there was no cash in the wallet it is believed that Adrian had spent the cash he had earlier withdrawn from an ATM at the function, and used the remaining £3 to top up the amount his colleague had given the taxi driver when he collected Adrian at the hotel. Due to the positioning of the phone and the wallet, it is believed that he may have sat down for a while on the road surface placing these items down, but inadvertently leaving them behind when he moved off.

Adrian was dropped off at around five minutes past midnight. The following is a chronology of movements of who we believe to be Adrian over the next two or so hours. Times in some cases are approximate based upon witnesses’ best recollection, and references to “Adrian” are based upon a belief that this is indeed Adrian from references to description.

00:15 and 00:35 – a number of sightings of Adrian in the vicinity of the Carrefour Selous junction with La Grande Route de St Laurent. All are indicative of a state of intoxication ranging from unsteady walking to lying in the road.
01:00 – a report of a male shouting and swearing in La Rue de la Golarde, and very shortly after a male fitting Adrian’s description walking east along this lane.
01:05 – Adrian walks into a house in La Rue de la Golarde, occupants are still awake and in the lounge and question his presence before he leaves and is then seen walking west along Rue de la Golarde. Adrian is polite and appeared to have mud on his trousers.
01:40 – 01:45 – a householder in Le Passage hears a voice at the front of his house and on checking sees Adrian sitting on his wall, there was no-one else around. The householder enquired as to what he was doing and if he was ok. Adrian apologises for disturbing him and leaves heading west along Le Passage. At around this time (believed very shortly afterwards) a taxi driver passes Adrian in the lane who is however now walking east towards the junction with La Grande Route de St Laurent.
02:00 – Adrian is seen walking northwards on La Grande Route de St Laurent near to the junction with La Fraide Rue.
02:00 – someone is heard shouting and swearing on the s-bend near Bon Air Stables, and a person believed to be Adrian is seen walking northwards.
02:09 – CCTV at the Thistlegrove site captures Adrian walking north past the entrance, and then entering the yard at the front of Regal, before disappearing down the side of Regal. He re-emerges a few minutes later and is seen to walk south back past Thistlegrove at 02:17.
02:15 – 02:30 – a resident whose house backs onto the vehicular track leading south from La Rue de la Golarde into the Cooke’s Roses Farm complex hears their young child crying seemingly as they have been disturbed from sleep by someone shouting. It is very possible Adrian was walking back towards the very area he had started from, perhaps searching for his phone and wallet.

Adrian’s belt
Adrian’s belt was located on the Saturday by a householder in his garden in Le Passage, near to the boundary with Cooke’s Roses Farm. It was loosely coiled. A friend of Adrian has said that Adrian occasionally removed his belt and carried it in a coiled fashion. It is believed that at some point Adrian had removed and was carrying his belt. It is possible that he dropped or placed this when either leaving or entering the garden near to the Cooke’s Roses Farm complex, possibly at around 02:30 if the last report of hearing shouting related to Adrian passing southwards through the site.

Saturday 5th to Monday 7th December 2015

Contact was made by the finder of Adrian’s wallet and phone with Adrian’s family on the Saturday morning, and the family started their own enquiries before reporting Adrian missing in the early afternoon. An early assessment of the circumstances prioritised Adrian as a high risk missing person and enquiries initiated. Searching was carried out well into the night.
A multi-agency meeting involving representatives from a number of agencies was held at 07:00 on the Sunday and searching continued throughout the day and into the night, under the coordination of a trained police search advisor. One of the challenges that searchers faced that weekend and in the days and weeks that followed was the relative brevity of daylight hours, although searching into the night continued when it was considered conceivable that Adrian may still be alive.

On the Monday a decision to set up a major investigation room was taken, and a command structure to support the multi-agency working established. Use of the UK HOLMES major investigation computer system for recording and tracking data and lines of enquiry was also established. Although a missing person enquiry, the investigation room, team structure and processes mirrored that used nationally for major enquiries, whether crime related or not. The investigation started with regard to all possibilities, and has remained as such.

This had been declared as a critical incident and a command structure put in place to ensure strategic and tactical requirements were recognised and responded to. A Gold / Silver / Bronze terminology is applied nationally across the emergency services to major incidents, and Detective Superintendent Stewart Gull assumed the role of the “Gold Commander” which he still retains. Detective Chief Inspector Lee Turner who had been involved since the Sunday morning was designated as the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) over-seeing Detective Inspector Steve Langford as the “Silver” for investigation and Inspector Tim Barnes as the SoJP “Silver” for the multi-agency searching.

The search

From Sunday 6th to Tuesday 22nd December representatives from ten agencies were used daily in coordinated searching. They were spread across a total of 28 designated zones covering about 12 square kilometres in total, as seen on the map below. There were typically between 30 and 60 searchers deployed on any one day, the management and coordination of which required significant effort and monitoring. The search zones were designated according to the information picture that was developing as the enquiry progressed, and centred on those areas that featured in the reported sightings of Adrian as well as the potential directions he may have travelled in.



1 km radius (2 km diameter) circular zones of higher priority were established, centring on Adrian’s last known location (taxi drop off / belt recovery area) and the furthest believed movement indicated (Thistlegrove / Bon Air stables area). Such zones were also based on input from national search advice, and a National Search Advisor from the College of Policing worked in the island for a few days with search management in December.

The support of the public was and has been significant and careful ongoing consideration was given from the outset on Sunday 6th December and throughout the active search phases to using members of the public in support of coordinated searching, working alongside agency personnel. During this critical phase of the searching, it was assessed that there were sufficient resources for the task in hand. To involve the public in this coordinated way would have placed an unnecessary burden and additional risk on the overall coordinated search. This decision was strongly endorsed by a National Search Advisor from the College of Policing in the early stages.

There are a number of water sites in the general area ranging from garden ponds to the Handois and Dannemarche reservoirs. A number of these aspects could be and were covered by trained Fire and Rescue officers and divers from TTS. Other more challenging aspects were reviewed and where applicable covered by sonar specialists from Humberside Police.

Specialist victim recovery dogs were also utilised over two phases in December and January in areas assessed to require particular attention, or which presented significant challenges to other search methods. These dogs are trained to find deceased people, unlike the more general purpose police dogs which are used by SoJP who are trained to locate the living. As with any search assets, although highly trained these dogs are not infallible and require focus – this is directed and monitored by trained handlers, and will on occasion be restricted by environmental conditions such as wind direction.

A drone used by trained Fire and Rescue personnel was also deployed and viewing of footage monitored and examined over a number of days in support of other methods. This covered a total of about 12 hours flying time and covering a total distance of some 80,000 metres.

With regard to the possibility that Adrian may have been involved in a road traffic collision (RTC), additional and focused search attention was also paid to road surfaces and boundaries (extending up to 10 metres either side of the road surface) inside and out of the 1 km higher priority zones, not only for Adrian but for any debris or item that may have been discarded or flung upon any impact (which is common). Unsurprisingly, debris from what are believed to be minor historic collisions was located, but nothing of apparent relevance to Adrian’s disappearance.

Several thousand personnel hours in total were used in searching the designated areas, both before and after Christmas. There was and remains no information on which to base extending such parameters other than simply extending outwards in all directions which would not only require an exponentially growing resourcing requirement, but would also depend upon the consent of private property owners in circumstances where there would be little or no rationale to request or expect this. In short, in the absence of any more specific information, further searching is simply considered unviable.

Further searching for example in the central Carrefour Selous area was conducted in January based on a hypothesis arising from the last indication of Adrian’s presence in the Cooke’s Roses Farm area at 02:15 – 02:30.

This position has been supplemented by repeated requests for land and property owners to check their own areas outside of these zones, to use employees to assist on commercial and agricultural sites and to call the police for assistance if for example; the infirm or restricted are unable to thoroughly check property and outbuildings.

Difficult decisions such as those involving the parameters of extended searches have to be made, but as with all aspects of major investigations the practical implications are such that parameters have to be applied based on rationale, and the Senior Investigating Officer making such decisions rightly remains accountable for these.

The northern boundary areas around St John’s Village were based on earlier indications of Adrian’s direction of travel from the taxi drop off and the direction of his home address. The absence of any sightings past these areas limited the extent of these zones; however, the north coast has featured in search activity, including the Channel Islands Air Search plane, and also by the States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service and other assets based on reports of possible relevance. Other areas have also received search attention in response to other possibly related pieces of information that were received.

An internal review of all search documentation is being carried out in order to establish the necessity for any revisits.

Hypotheses and lines of enquiry

A number of hypotheses were established by the SIO in the early phase of the investigation, falling within the three main nationally recognised categories of missing people:
1. Lost person – a person who is temporarily disorientated and would wish to be found;

2. Voluntary missing person – a person who has control over their own action but has decided on a particular course of action eg wishes to leave home or self-harm;

3. Missing person under the influence of a third party – relating to someone who has gone missing against their will eg abduction or murder victim.

The hypotheses established, form the basis of documented investigative strategies, which themselves drive principle lines of enquiry. The investigation has remained open-minded to all possibilities including criminal and third party involvement, but to date it remains that there is no credible information indicative of a crime. Such is Adrian’s apparent disorientation, intoxication and vulnerability that night, some form of misadventure is still considered the most probable eventuality, but other possibilities have never been ruled out.

Before clarification was obtained as to why Adrian might have taken off his belt, an explanation was considered that he might have been experiencing the onset of hypothermia. As bizarre as it might appear, undressing in some cases of hypothermia can occur although no further items of Adrian’s clothing have yet been discovered. Another reaction can be a form of hibernation-like activity in terms of deliberate and tight self-concealment, and this has not been ruled out. Although it was a relatively mild and dry night, Adrian was not dressed to remain outside overnight, and this combined with intoxication leading to increased cooling of skin surfaces could possibly have created physiological hypothermic reactions. This is only a possibility however and cannot be determined with any certainty such are the variables involved, but consultation with a Home Office pathologist has taken place in this regard and cannot be entirely ruled out. Contrary to what might be thought, it does not need to be bitterly cold for hypothermia to occur.

The structure of the investigation is such that any turn of events can be accommodated and catered for. Although this is a missing person investigation open to all possibilities, a murder investigation would follow a similar structure but its strategic direction would be influenced by those aspects indicative of a murder having taken place, eg discovery of a body in such circumstances or credible information that this was indeed the case. It is not a matter of switching from a missing person enquiry to a murder investigation simply because a period of time has elapsed without discovery.

Whether a missing person or a murder investigation, both seek to identify sources of intelligence, information and evidence in order to establish what has happened. This is why reference has been made to terminology such as “witness strategy” and “house to house enquiries” which would be expected in murder investigations, but have also been used in this investigation in order to identify and capitalise on information opportunities. As an example, witness strategy included written appeals in foreign languages placed in public areas and delivered to farms in the central parishes. A house to house zone was designated covering the routes Adrian is known to have taken, and may have proceeded to take, covering over 300 properties and over 500 residents, all of whom identified and spoken with.

A range of other lines of enquiry cover issues such as forensics, family liaison, passive data opportunities including CCTV from 18 sites, vehicle damage, and importantly the media.

Over 1,000 people have been spoken with during the investigation, over 250 witness statements recorded and over 560 investigative actions generated over and above the search activity described.

At the end of January a National Missing Persons Advisor and a National Senior Investigating Officer Advisor from the National Crime Agency visited and undertook a review of the structure, hypotheses and basis for the lines of enquiry being generated. As with any form of review in any field, a number of recommendations were made, gratefully received and duly considered and acted upon to varying degrees with regard to the local context and ongoing developments in the information picture. Support and further recommendations were also provided following this, by an NCA National Search Advisor in addition to those given before Christmas by the College of Policing.

The media

There have been over 30 media releases since the investigation began and a number of interviews with DCI Turner and D/Supt Gull. The outreach to an immensely supportive community wanting to help the police and Adrian’s family has been significant. There have for example been 14,122 YouTube hits on the Thistlegrove CCTV images.
A number of appeals for information have been made, including for a number of people who might have seen Adrian or something of possible relevance to come forward. Despite repeated appeals, a number of persons remain outstanding – these are people who very possibly might simply have seen or heard something of interest, however insignificant or irrelevant this might appear to them to be.


1. The occupants of a silver car (possibly a VW or Citroen Saxo) parked outside David Hicks at about 23:00;


2. Two persons with a motorcycle at the junction of Le Neuf Chemin and St Lawrence main road (just north of the entrance to St John’s Manor) at about midnight;


3. A male with a dark pullover hitchhiking up Mont Felard at about half past midnight;


4. A male in a mustard coloured suit walking north past Regal at about 01:15-01:30;


5. A taxi moving south past Thistlegrove at 02:33;


6. A male with white hair hitchhiking south at about 03:00 in the Three Oaks area;


7. Two males hitchhiking north at about 03:00 in the area of Steven Cohu antiques


In addition to this, despite a number of requests and other enquiries, it cannot be confirmed that all persons either in, passing into or out of the area at the relevant time have been identified. The CCTV at Thistlegrove identifies a number of vehicles passing in both directions throughout the night but makes and models are not distinguishable – we believe most have been identified but not all.

Current Position

The investigation will not be concluded until Adrian is found and the circumstances of his disappearance established as far as is possible. Maintaining a resourced investigation room and team however is only appropriate whilst there are feasible lines of enquiry to investigate, and these are not infinite. Adrian remains missing and SoJP will continue to consider any potential for fresh investigative leads and monitor any new intelligence or information, and remain ready and willing to resource and respond appropriately to any such developments.

This has been a unique and unprecedented missing person enquiry for Jersey. Whilst the States of Jersey Police will continue to keep an open mind as to any eventuality in respect of Adrian’s disappearance as set out as above, as difficult as it may be to comprehend on a small island, indications are that Adrian simply remains missing by misadventure. This has been an open and transparent investigation, and for as long as Adrian remains missing the Police remain committed to finding him.(END)

Credit SOJP.
For related Blogs published by Team Voice on the disappearance/police investigation of Adrian Lynch please click on the labels at the bottom of the posting. Alternatively please click on the links below.

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY .
Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 7/8

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY/13/14

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 31/32

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 35/36


Adrian Lynch Investigation. QUESTIONS TO THE STATES OF JERSEY POLICE.

Adrian Lynch UPDATE.


Thursday 12 May 2016

Adrian Lynch update.





A week ago today we published this BLOG POSTING setting out a number of questions concerning the disappearance of Adrian Lynch and the police's efforts to solve the case. For those who have been following this tragic story. Twenty year-old Adrian was reported missing on the 5th December 2015 after failing to return home from a work's Christmas Party at the Merton Hotel. He remains missing more than five months later.

We sent the Blog Posting, with the published questions, to the States of Jersey Police (SOJP) in the hope they would reassure the online community by answering ALL the questions to the best of their ability. Unfortunately this was not the case.

Below are extracts from the e-mail VFC sent to DCI/SIO Lee Turner, and below that, are extracts of the reply from his Press Officer.


"Dear Detective Chief Inspector.

Today (on the 5 month anniversary of Adrian's disappearance) I have published a Blog on the subject that can be read here http://voiceforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/05/adrian-lynch-investigation-questions-to.html

The Blog Posting includes a number of questions surrounding the police investigation. These questions were taken (but not exclusively) from social media sites such as Facebook/Twitter and Blog readers. They are questions being asked by the general public in other words.

You will note that the general consensus is that there is little confidence in the investigation and in particular that Adrian might have succumbed to Hypothermia.

This, as I have mentioned in the Blog Posting, could be down to a number of reasons, one being that you/SOJP have not got your message out adequately through the media?

In an attempt to curtail (as much as possible) conspiracy theories would you please answer the questions posed in the main Blog Posting?

DCI Lee Turner.

Reply from Press Officer.

"Thank you for your letter and sharing your concerns into the disappearance of Adrian. After reading the questions listed on the blog, we can confirm that the majority of the answers you require have already been made available to the public, through the many press releases and media appeals that the police have issued over the last 5 months. We have also listed this information on our website as is usual practice and I have enclosed the link to our news archive.


The last release relating to the search for Adrian was posted on April 12th, you can view all of the other related releases by scrolling through the pages of early 2016 and December 2015.

You will also find on here the map of the designated search zones. All of this information has been available to the public and we have shared as much information as we possibly could with them. Contrary to belief, the investigation is not holding anything back. What we know, we have shared."(END)

We argue that the majority of our questions HAVEN'T been answered and the SOJP haven't been as helpful as they could have been. This is something we hope to return to at a later date.

Today we want to concentrate on questions asked (or not) in the Island's  Parliament two days ago (Tuesday 10 May) from Deputy Mike Higgins to the Home Affairs Minister regarding Adrian's disappearance and the Police's investigation. Below is the audio recording of those questions and the Home Affairs Minister's "answers."

Home Affairs Minister
Deputy Kristina Moore

Readers will note (from the audio recording below) that the Home Affairs Minister claims "I am grateful to the Deputy for maintaining the profile of this important case and particularly amongst us, most member of the Assembly are parents themselves, I'm sure that we all want to remind Adrian's family how much we sympathies with them and express how we wish after five terrible months of agony their pain can be eased by finding this young man and answering the many questions they must have."(END)

Firstly readers should be aware, that according to Adrian's father, "No politicians have been in contact with us since Ady went missing""I contacted Mike Higgins after hearing on radio that it was going to be debated in States. This was the first I had heard about it. I am happy that Mr Higgins is showing us support in finding my son"

Connetable Juliette Gallichan.

This, if correct, is a truly staggering revelation. The Lynch family live in St Mary, on the boarder of St John. What happened to the Parish "community spirit" we are told so much about? The Connetable being the Mother/Father of the Parish? In this case the Connetable/mother of the Parish being Juliette Gallichan. How can it be that NONE of their own elected representatives have contacted Adrian's parent's in order to show, if not political, but practical or moral/emotional support? What does this say about the Parish system? What does this say to the wider community? If your child goes missing don't expect any help/support from us? It could be, in fairness to the elected representatives, that they feel they don't want to intrude on the Lynch family so have resisted contacting them directly.

If this is the case then why not, as quoted by the Home Affairs Minister,  "answer the many questions they must have?" Why not just ask one question in the parliament as Deputy Mike Higgins did? The fact is that not a single States Member asked a question during that States Sitting on the back of Deputy Higgins' question.

This is a damming indictment of our Island's Parliament. A twenty year-old boy disappears, without a trace, and out of forty nine so-called "independent" politicians only one of them can show any kind of public support to the family? Only one politician attempts to hold a Minister to account? No other politician has a question for the Home Affairs Minister/police in this very sad, tragic and controversial case? 

Some readers might think this doesn't effect/concern you, but what if it was your child? What if your child was missing under such suspicious circumstances, the police's official line doesn't make sense to the general public/lay person. Who could you rely on for support? Has your Deputy/Constable or Senator asked a question in the States concerning this case? You might want to contact them  and ask them? If so all States Members contact details can be found HERE. 

Deputy Mike Higgins.

Deputy Higgins asked another crucial question (audio below) of the Home Affairs Minister. What were the recommendations made by the outside partner agencies who reviewed the investigation into Adrian's disappearance? This question is crucial because one of the recommendations could have been that the investigation should have been up-graded to a murder inquiry. Another could have been that the SOJP don't have the expertise in this field and the investigation could/should be handled by a UK force who do have expertise in this area. There are many more recommendations that could have been made but the Home Affairs Minister won't tell us what they are. This could be for operational reasons and the Minister has advised Deputy Higgins to put the question to the police which we believe he will be doing shortly.

As posted above, the Home Affairs Minister stated: "I am grateful to the Deputy for maintaining the profile of this important case and particularly amongst us, most members of the Assembly are parents themselves, I'm sure that we all want to remind Adrian's family how much we sympathies with them and express how we wish after five terrible months of agony their pain can be eased by finding this young man and answering the many questions they must have."

The audio recording bears little, or no resemblance, to that statement.

Our thoughts and support remain with Adrian's family, and friends,  through, what must be, such an agonising time of uncertainty and turmoil.

For related Blogs published by Team Voice on the disappearance/police investigation of Adrian Lynch please click on the labels at the bottom of the posting. Alternatively please click on the links below.

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY FIVE.

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 7/8

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY/13/14

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 31/32

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 35/36


Adrian Lynch Investigation. QUESTIONS TO THE STATES OF JERSEY POLICE.


Thursday 5 May 2016

Adrian Lynch Investigation. Questions to the States of Jersey Police.



Adrian Lynch.


On the night of the 4/5th of December 2015 twenty year old Adrian Lynch disappeared in the Carrefour Selous area of St Lawrence Jersey. Adrian had attended a works Christmas party at the Merton Hotel. It is now 5 months to the day Adrian was reported missing, he is still missing, and the questions surrounding the police investigation continue to mount.

In our PREVIOUS POSTING we questioned the official line, in particular, the police's apparent theory that Adrian could have developed hypothermia (on a mild winter's night) sought shelter (from what exactly)? and found shelter in a place where nobody could find him including apparently highly trained sniffer dogs. To the vast majority of people we have spoken with, the official line of the States of Jersey Police is not believed. This could be that the police's media strategy is flawed and they are not getting their message across to the public adequately. It could also mean that it is a bungled investigation that lacks money, resources, and experienced officers for this type of investigation. It might also mean there is some type of cover-up. Whatever the case the official police line does not stack up.

With that in mind Team Voice is turning its attention towards the police and its investigation. We have accumulated a number of questions from members of the public/readers of this Blog and elsewhere to put to the police and others. The questions will, after publication on here, be e-mailed to the police, and media, in the hope that they will be answered. We will, of course, publish any answers we get.

Questions surrounding the police investigation of missing person Adrian Lynch.

Why have the police resisted an Island-wide search for Adrian? Why has the search been limited to such a small area on such a small island? Adrian could have been on the other side of the island within 15-20 minutes.

Have the specialy trained sniffer dogs been out searching for Adrian other than within the first two weeks? If not why not?

Are the police satisfied that they have properly searched the designated zones? What/where are the designated zones?

Can the police confirm, or otherwise, that ALL the drivers in the area of the night Adrian went missing have now come forward and have been eliminated as suspects?

We know, along with all States Departments, that the police's budget has been cut. Has there been financial constraints on the search for Adrian? Is it that the police simply can't afford to find/investigate the disappearance of Adrian? If so why doesn't the Home Affairs Minister ask the States for more money? From the Criminal Offences Confiscation fund for instance.

Has the North coast of Jersey been thoroughly searched by land, sea, and air? If not why not?

What are the Terms of Reference (TOR's) for the Adrian Lynch Investigation? What timescale, and budget, was it given? How much of that timescale and budget are left?

When/how long before a missing person case becomes a possible abduction/murder/foul-play investigation?

DCI Lee Turner.

What experience/training does Detective Chief Inspector Lee Turner have in being Senior Investigating Officer in a missing person case?  What experience CAN he have? Cases like these are once in a generation (if that.) Should an outside expert in this field have been brought in from the start?

Are the police being reactive or proactive in this case? Are they looking for any leads or are they just waiting for them to land on their desks?

If Adrian’s surname was Bailhache, or Birt, would he still be missing and the case still unsolved? 


Have the States of Jersey Police sought expert medical opinion on the probability of a young man of Adrian's age and condition becoming hypothermic given the prevailing weather conditions on the night he disappeared? Given the fact that every weekend night of the year, young locals survive an intoxicated walk home without harm, it seems at the very least surprising that the police have not issued a press release confirming that they have received expert medical advice that this is a plausible scenario. Vulnerability to hypothermia is presumably highly variable, so what would the probability be of a presumably healthy young male who has walked a considerable distance on a mild winter's night after consuming a few drinks? 1 in 1,000? 1 in 1 million?

What coherent explanation is there for Adrian discarding his belt and phone? If the working theory is that he was acting irrationally after becoming hypothermic,  is there any evidence that people with hypothermia are prone to discard such items? Is it possible that anybody who has developed hypothermia would have sufficient function in their fingers to be able to remove a belt? 

It has been reported that this investigation has been externally/independently reviewed. Who was it reviewed by? It was also reported that a number of recommendations were made. Crucially what were these recommendations, do the police agree with them, and if so, have they been implemented? Is there another review planned, if so when? If not why not? 


Chief Police Officer Mike Bowron.

Given the high profile of the case will the Chief Officer, Mike Bowron, be making any personal comment?  Why hasn't he made any comment thus far? Will the Home Affairs Minister be making any personal comment?  Have the Police Authority asked for the Chief Officer to report to them on the matter?  Just who, apart from the Blogging community/Social Media is holding the force to account for its performance in this case? 

Who is taking responsibility for this investigation? If it is Chief Officer Mike Bowron, then where is he? Why no public comment from him?  If it is the Home Affairs Minister, then where is she or some kind of statement from her? If it is the Police Authority then has anybody heard from them lately?

Just who is holding who to account for this? What monitoring arrangements are in place and where does the buck stop? Where does the accountability start, or stop, with this investigation? Who's head will be on the chopping block should things go t1ts up?

Do the police know more than they are letting on? If so, then why try and peddle he hypothermia sketch? Why not give the public something more believable?

There has been much speculation involving Adrian's disappearance some of it credible and possibly useful, some of it not so much. Unfortunately this speculation will continue until plausible explanations/answers are given by the police.

Our thoughts are, and will continue to be, with Adrian's family who must be living a nightmare incomprehensible to most.

For related Blogs published by Team Voice on the disappearance/police investigation of Adrian Lynch please click on the labels at the bottom of the posting. Alternatively please click on the links below.

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY FIVE.

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 7/8

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 13/14

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 31/32

Adrian Lynch still missing. DAY 35/36