Saturday 12 October 2019

Exclusive: Lenny Harper Responds to William Bailhache's Political Attack on Care Inquiry. (Part one)


Former SIO/DCO Lenny Harper

Further to our PREVIOUS POST where we demonstrated how the outgoing Bailiff, William Bailhache, looked to have carried out a vendetta against the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry for his brother, former Bailiff Philip Bailhache. The alleged vendetta was carried out as part of a speech given by Bailhache where he abused his dual position in the States Assembly. Video of the speech can be viewed HERE. During that same speech the out-going Bailiff totally, and unequivocally, vindicated the former Senior Investigating Officer of Jersey's biggest ever Child Abuse Investigation Mr. Lenny Harper.

Long-time readers will know that William Bailhache was the Attorney General during the Police's Child Abuse Investigation (Operation Rectangle) and refused to bring many cases to court. Indeed, in June 2009 he published a PRESS STATEMENT with his so-called "reasons" for NOT doing so. Long-time readers will also know that not all of those "reasons" stood up to just the slightest scrutiny.

From his Press Statement above:

"In another case, the complainant described sustaining 300 to 400 cigarette burn marks and a branding which required a skin graft, but there is no physical sign of any injury................."

But then we have (From the transcripts of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry) testimony from: "a medical report prepared by a Jason Payne-James."

"On examination of his back there were numerous pale mature scars generally less than ... in size down to about [so much] in size. They extended across [an area of the back], they were in no fixed pattern and of no particular shape. They represent areas of skin that have sustained damage of an extent enough to result in residual scars. Causes could include cigarette burns, insect bites, chickenpox (although other lesions were not noted elsewhere) ..."

These transcripts, and further demonstration that William Bailhache's "reasons" for not prosecuting this particular alleged prolific pedophile can, and should be read HERE.

Why do we bring this up? Because although William Bailhache in his political speech attacking the Care Inquiry (and by implication the Survivors) he also unequivocally VINDICATED Lenny Harper and Operation Rectangle. We asked Mr. Harper if he accepted this vindication (video below) and he told us "actions" speak louder than words." It's all very well the Bailiff saying what a great job Mr. Harper did (10 years later) but what has the "actions" of the Bailiff been? We reported back in 2011 that the Survivors/public were offered a mere handful of SHOW TRIALS while those connected people remained, and remain to this day, protected (The Jersey Way).

Old Media

Of course the fact that Mr. Harper, and Operation Rectangle, were totally, and unequivocally, vindicated by William Bailhache has NOT (to the best of our knowledge) been broadcast/published by any of the local Old Media (formerly known as MSM). Jersey's Old Media has gone out of its way to portray Mr. Harper as the bad guy and it has only ever been the Bloggers, through the years, who have tried adding balance to the Old Media's propaganda and given a voice to those who have been victims of the Old Media. This has included Survivors, Mr. Harper, Graham Power QPM and many others. The Old Media are in a dilemma now because after doing everything it has to discredit Lenny Harper and his Team involved with Operation Rectangle, now the out-going Bailiff (and former AG) Praises/vindicates Mr. Harper and his investigation. It would be difficult for the Old Media to report this because of its trashing of Mr. Harper and his investigation all through the years without looking inadequate (at best) or complicit (at worse).

As far as we are aware we are the only media to report the Bailiff's vindication of Mr. Harper and we ARE the only media to ask him for his reaction. Again regular readers will know that the Old Media ran lots of stories about Mr. Haper, and how much he spent on a Prawn Cocktail, yet NONE of them had the decency, or professional journalistic courtesy to either ask him his side of the story, or offer him any kind of right of reply.

The way the local Old Media went about its business concerning its reporting of Mr. Harper, and related issues, was exposed in what has been described as "The most defining Report of its Era." That report was published by former Deputy TREVOR PITMAN'S Scrutiny Sub Panel and can be read (the short version) HERE and in its entirety HERE.

We are thankful for Mr. Harper's continued support (he retired more than 11 years ago) for the Survivors and for the truth to be told. We are grateful for the interview in order to keep the historic records accurate also.

Part two of this interview will be looking a little deeper into the roles played by Old and New Media over the years concerning Operation Rectangle, the Care Inquiry, and much more.

Mr. Harper (in the interview) basically sums up the irony of William Bailhache's political speech in one quote:

"For someone  who was trying to deny the existence of "The Jersey Way" he made a very good job of actually proving its alive, well and kicking."






18 comments:

  1. Good to see Mr Harper in fine fettle. What choice did Bailhache have? many of will remember when the Scrutiny Panel led by ex-Deputy Pitman if I am correct highlighted just what a load of boolocks had been spread and passed of as truth by the Establishment. That report never seemed to get any Old Media coverage either did it? yet Bailhache tells us there is no Jersey Way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not only is the report, and former Deputy Trevor Pitman mentioned in this Blog Posting, there is a link to the report itself.

      Delete
    2. "Boolocks" is far too polite a word, Anonymous!

      Delete
  2. Thank you for giving this interview Mr Harper you are a hero in the truest meaning of the word and thank you so much for not giving up on the victims.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The integrity of Mr Harper stands in stark contrast to that of William Bailhache. From one of the many good Jersey people I salute and thank you sir.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great to see you back on VFC, Mr Harper. Any chance you two could do a weekly show, it always brightens up my week hearing from you!

    By the ways, at 8 mins 38 seconds you talk about the JEP reporter. For newer readers, her name was Diane Simon, colloquially known as Shackles Simon. VFC covered her reporting here http://voiceforchildren.blogspot.com/2010/12/letter-from-former-dco-lenny-harper.html. In VFC's article, there is a link to the original JEP article but, because of the passage of time, the link is broken (the JEP changed its main web hosting address from www.thisisjersey.com to www.jerseyeveningpost.com). I have looked up the correct link on the JEP's website and have pasted it below.

    Bad link:
    http://www.thisisjersey.com/2008/02/29/shackles-found-in-homes-cellar/
    Good link:
    https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2008/02/29/shackles-found-in-homes-cellar/

    Anyway, great to hear from you. Glad to see you are obviously doing well. And, oh, yeah....hashtag #vindicated !!!

    All we need now is for Ian Le Marquand to come out and deliver his mea culpa for Graham Power. Don't hold your breath though. You and Mr Power should however take some comfort that that individual has totally removed himself from public discourse in Jersey; you would be hard pressed to find the last time he was mentioned. He might still be hiding in the toilet, perhaps...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Andrew Lewis must have picked his jaw off the floor when he heard the Bailiff, Wild Bill Bailhache, praise Lenny Harper and his investigation. Poor old Andrew thrown into an even deeper hole clinging on to,and waving, the Met Interim Report like a modern day Neville Chamberlain..

    The words came from the Bailiff and that caps an eventful 10yrs.

    Thank you for your thoughts Lenny look forward to part 2

    Rico

    ReplyDelete
  6. First things first. Leonard has not ever diminished his loyalty or commitment to the abuse survivors, and you VFC have matured into a rather fine reporter. May I suggest that you take that further, radio show etc, etc? As for Leonard squandering the public purse on lavish dining, we have that covered!!! https://therightofreply.blogspot.com/2012/10/ex-cio-lenny-harper-doing-mike-bowrons.html But seriously, what a terrific interview conducted with understanding, and love, and compassion for the survivors whilst incorporating the utter farce that is "THE JERSEY WAY" in the process. Lenny tore Bailhache apart with nothing more than the truth and a little good humour, and good humour is exactly why we will eventually overcome "THEM". "THEY" have nothing but disdain for the peasants whilst the peasants feel sorry for "THEM"....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Always good to hear from Lenny, a true hero

    ReplyDelete
  8. My one time supervisor, colleague and current friend Lenny Harper is finally, rightly vindicated. If those third rate officials and journalists really thought that this first rate policeman would ever, ever give up on those children, they badly misjudged him. Still, it must be difficult to recognize a sense of unswerving honour in another when you possessess none yourself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very well said Unknown, and on a similar tack I would like to say how refreshing it is to hear also from Rico and 'Big Ian' who also contributed to this sad and sorry tale without fear or favour, kept the public up to date with the facts and the truth along with VFC and others. None of it was in vain in spite and despite. Utmost respect to you all and I am sorry, but whatever your titles Bailhache brothers, you deserve nothing but utter contempt for your actions throughout and now even afterwards. Yes VFC - lest we forget.

      Delete
    2. Thank you Jill and I hope you are well and happy, good to hear from you also xxx

      Delete
  9. It is not lost on interested observers elsewhere that after 12 years of astonishing corruption and consequent amplifications, still civil society activists on Jersey and elsewhere remain committed to the cause. The resilience of the Jersey activists has been formidable. The former Deputy Police Chief and former Police Chief both remain resolute in opposing the obvious corruption of the Jersey situation. Not surprising, given both men extensively witnessed and experienced acts designed to politicise, steer, obstruct, capture and sabotage the policing function of the island.

    Some readers here like to give some credit to the Jersey public inquiry, for understandable reasons. but in strict fact and by any reasonable legal assessment Stuart Syvret is perfectly correct in his conclusion that it failed to meet its purposes and it is legally illegitimate. Of course, it isn't difficult for the Jersey establishment to mislead the local population of the island that the public inquiry was good. We see further well calculated attempts to falsely boost its credibility. It would be no shock if the attack by William Bailhache had been pre-orchestrated for just that purpose. Perhaps he was persuaded to ‘take a hit for the team’, a reasonable enough ‘ask’ given he had no credibility left to lose in any event. The point remains, that for the long term credibility of Jersey the local community are not the key audience. The people who required convincing that Jersey is capable of good-governance and self-policing, and that there is not something deep and darkly rotting on the tax haven, are those observers of the Jersey situation around the world. These people increasingly included investigative journalists, other abuse survivors, activists and activist groups, security services of different countries, authors, and the law enforcement agencies of other nations.

    The running of the Jersey public inquiry as a piece of transparently rigged theatre was a blunder of almost incalculable consequences. At a time when the Jersey authorities finally had to grow up, play with a straight bat, accept they had behaved extraordinarily badly, such is their cultural addiction to power, especially class based power, they flatly refused to countenance so much as one meaningful consequence, and instead ran a mock public inquiry which never stood any chance of withstanding meaningful international scrutiny. If Jersey was capable of safe self governance there would have been an influential & intelligent faction in the island’s establishment who faced the facts, and accepted consequences would flow as a result of the Jersey authorities bad and unlawful behaviour; humiliation would flow, reputations be smoked, previously unprosecuted offenders would now have to be charged, certain senior establishment careers were over, and the local power institutions have to be reformed. But as unpalatable as those outcomes may seem from a Jersey establishment perspective, the alternative, the unsalvageable international destruction of the island’s reputation, was always going to be immeasurably worse.

    Is it still possible for the sensible elements within the Jersey establishment to rescue the situation? Perhaps. But now added to what was already going to be a difficult and messy task, they also have to find a way of setting aside the mock public inquiry, recovering the resources, and running a real public inquiry. Yes, it’s a bloody mess. A real mess. But it is one of their own creation. If they cannot control their own powerful mavericks, eccentric & criminals, sooner or later their conduct is going to bring them down. It may well have done so already.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. William Bailhache taking a hit for the team???
      What on earth are you talking about ... this whole comment is verging on delusional.

      Delete
  10. Dunno if any other of your readers have noticed but since the Rag have had to cull the disgusting fake comments from Red 25, Basil the rat, Pumkinhead, Truthseeker and Double Zero there are no comments at all on the on line stories. I knew that hardly anyone reads the paper any more but blimey!

    ReplyDelete
  11. With the swearing in of the new Bailiff today here is a throwback to 2009 when history was made by the first ever protest of a swearing in of a Bailiff. Were you THERE?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Will publish part two of the interview with Mr. Harper later this afternoon..............Stay tuned!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Exclusive Interview with former SIO Lenny Harper PART TWO.

    ReplyDelete