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

School Shooting in Jersey (Exclusive).

A pupil, at a local (Jersey) secondary school, was shot in the face by a teacher with a starting pistol. The incident took place back in May this year and the teacher was fined in the Magistrate’s Court after pleading guilty to discharging an imitation firearm.

Below is another Blogger (Jersey’s only independent media) exclusive where the mother of the victim tells us, the series of events concerning the shooting, from her perspective and relates some still unanswered questions.

Regular readers will not be surprised to learn that NONE of the Island’s State Media has contacted the mother over this, very relevant, child safety issue. In light of the Jimmy Savile/HDLG Child Abuse cover-ups one would have hoped the State Media would be seeing this story as one of immense public interest and might have asked a few questions of the Education Department also?

Incident at school on Monday 13th May 2013

"I came home from work on what I thought was a normal day until my son came in from school after catching the bus home and said to me "You will never guess what happened to me at school today" I looked at him and saw that he had a bloodshot eye and black specks all over his face.

I asked him what had happened and he said "(teacher’s name) shot me in the face with a starter pistol" I could not believe my ears! I thought when you sent your child to school they were in a safe place!! I then went on to ask him numerous questions including why had I not been contacted by the school, what time did it happen, did he not get to medical and A&E? Once it had all registered I asked him how exactly it happened and did anyone else see what happened and when it happened?

My son then went on to tell me it was during his 2nd lesson of the day, he was playing 5 aside football in the sports hall, (why would a teacher be in possession of a starter pistol at an indoor 5 a side football match?) was talking to his mate and something made him turn around and as he did he was temporarily blinded by what hit him in the eye. He told me that The teacher quickly took him into the toilets to go and wash his eye and face and then when they came back into the hall (teacher’s name) told the class that none of them were to repeat what had just happened to anyone or he would get the sack.

My Son then went to medical to seek advice about his eye and saw the head of P.E. at the same time and told him what had just happened. After this he took him back to class where, my son told me, 5 of his classmates told him that (teacher’s name) had said just before he pulled the trigger "watch this I'm going to shoot "pupil x"

As soon as I heard the full story I was straight on the phone to the school to speak to the head teacher, when I asked him why I had not been contacted, the moment this had happened (the second class of the day) he told me he knew nothing about the incident and would have to go off and speak to his staff and come back to me, which he did within minutes.

I then took my son to A&E to get his eye checked which clearly should have been done via school that morning but WAS NOT.

I then took it upon myself the following morning to get in contact with the Education Department to report it and I also reported it to the police. 

I still need a lot of questions answered, which include: -

Why did a teacher have access to a gun?

Why did he have it in an enclosed environment during a 5 aside football lesson?

Why was I not contacted for such a major incident in a school?

Why was the headmaster not informed?

My son and my family feel let down by the school and the Education Department; when answering questions in the States from Deputy Trevor Pitman, the Education Minister had said that I had been kept informed of the case throughout. This is not how I see it because you can imagine my horror when I discovered the teacher had been allocated a class to teach this term (school roster sent to parents). This is after he had been found guilty in the magistrate’s court of discharging a firearm and still subject to an internal investigation. It was only as a result of Deputy Pitman’s question I discovered the rosters were printed some four months earlier.

I would have hoped the Education Department would have warned me about (teacher’s name) appearing on the roster, if the Department were keeping me informed as Deputy Ryan said it was.

Deputy Ryan also said, in the states, that my son had made a full recovery. If he was talking in the physical sense he could be right but this episode has had a lasting damaging emotional effect on our whole family who has lost confidence in the school and the department and I no longer feel my children are safe at school.

I have also discovered, partly due to Deputy Pitman’s questions, that the teacher, or the terrifying incident, is subject of an internal enquiry. I have not been told what the Terms of reference are for this enquiry, is it a disciplinary enquiry, a procedural enquiry, what is it if I am being kept informed I should have been told this."(END)

We (Team Voice) would like to ask a couple more questions such as; could the teacher face further criminal charges as a result of this supposed internal investigation? Could he be charged with assault, ABH (Actual Bodily Harm)?

Will this be another of those inquiries that drags on until all goes quiet, the teacher returns to work and the child/family are denied a voice?

The teacher was fined £1,000 how much of that will be given to the child/family for the distress caused? Or is it that the court is profiting through a family’s misery?

We hear, as yet unconfirmed reports, that the teachers Union is paying the £1,000 fine. Who is representing the child’s best interests?

If our States (Island's Parliament) take child safety issues seriously, why is it that not one member had a single question to ask of the Minister during Deputy Trevor Pitman's question(s) concerning this grave matter?

Finally, we ask, 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?