Dark Secrets of a Trillion Dollar Island: Garenne

"Dark Secrets of a Trillion Dollar Island: Garenne tells the extraordinary story of the child abuse scandal that erupted on the idyllic island of Jersey in 2007. For a long time, the victims’ voices had remained unheard, but when widespread allegations of sexual abuse resurfaced in the late 2000s, Jersey’s then health minister Stuart Syvret spoke out about the scale of this historic child abuse and the damage done to the victims.

Syvret’s words sparked a moment of reckoning for the small community, whose leaders were determined to protect the island’s reputation, home to a trillion dollars in offshore investment. This discreet offshore tax haven found itself in the middle of a major police investigation as the world’s media descended on the island, creating a media circus. In the midst of all this, the community became divided, with one group fearful that the scandal would drive investors away, and another demanding justice for the victims.

As bitterness and enmity drag on and the press desert Jersey, two unlikely bloggers decide to reignite the smouldering, unresolved issues. Teaming up with former police officers, survivors and supporters, they fight for the voices of the survivors to be heard, digging up past evidence and recording first-hand testimonials. In the process, they force the island to confront its past."

Monday 15th March 2021 10pm

SOURCE

Ted Heath Might Be "The Headline" But He Is NOT The Story.

On November 10^th 2008 Jersey’s Chief Police Officer, Graham Power QPM, was (possibly illegally) suspended from duty by the then Home Affairs Minister (above) discredited and disgraced ANDREW LEWIS.

He was suspended under very dubious circumstances where the official version of events that led to his suspension did not, does not, stand up to scrutiny so he had to be suspended again with an official line that (for the Establishment) would look a little more credible to the gullible public.

The former Chief of Police, it should be mentioned, was (illegally?) suspended from duty during the biggest Child Abuse Investigation (Operation Rectangle) this island has ever seen, or is likely to see.

A matter of weeks after (illegally?) suspending the Chief Officer, Andrew Lewis stepped away from political life and didn’t stand for re-election until 2014 where he was re-elected as a Deputy in St Helier District 3/4. The equally disgraced (former Magistrate) Ian Le Marquand was elected as Senator and took over the role as Home Affairs Minister where he too dubiously suspended Mr. Power with a story that was little more credible than that of Andrew Lewis' but did not, does not, stand up to scrutiny either.

The now (or then) Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand claimed he was going to bring Chief Officer Power to a disciplinary hearing and employed (at huge expense) an outside police force to gather the evidence against Mr. Power. That UK Police Force was The Wiltshire Constabulary.

Wiltshire’s alleged “investigation” (Operation Haven 1) subsequently went on to miss just about every deadline it was set, went way over budget, and didn’t bring a single disciplinary charge against Mr. Power. But that didn’t matter, its job was done. Wiltshire were able to give the Home Affairs Minister some unproven, untested allegations against Mr. Power (the prosecution case) to which Mr. Le Marquand duly (possibly illegally) published, with the help of the State Media. Neither he, nor the local State Media, who are all in possession of Mr. Power's defence case, to this day, have published/broadcast a SINGLE WORD OF IT.

The day disgraced former Home Affairs Minister, Ian Le Marquand, published parts of the prosecution case against Mr. Power was a day that set a very DANGEROUS PRECEDENT. He has some very serious questions to answer including THOSE ASKED by Jersey's former Deputy Chief Police Officer and Senior Investigating Officer of the Child Abuse investigation (Operation Rectangle) Lenny Harper (above).

The Wiltshire Constabulary were very "helpful" to the Jersey Authorities by dragging out their investigation for so long that it would be impossible to test their evidence against Mr. Power's.

But what we didn't know (because Wiltshire kept it quiet) was that they look to have covered up claims of abuse made against former Prime Minister Ted Heath, who was a regular visitor to Jersey. The disgraced Wiltshire Constabulary, who stand accused of complicity in the Jersey Child Abuse cover-up, are, or have been, under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission for a number of alleged "offences" due to its handling, (or lack of) abuse claims HERE and the Ted Heath claims HERE.

Brian Moore Senior Investigating Officer (Operation Haven 1) was then seconded, from Wilts, to become interim head of the UK Boarder Agency, with the apparent intention of taking up the full time post. He then stepped down IN DISGRACE from the UKBA.

Regular readers of this Blog will remember Best-Selling author and Journalist Leah McGrath Goodman was BANNED from the UK and Jersey after it became apparent she was investigating the child abuse, and POSSIBLE MURDER at Haut De la Garenne. She was detained at Heathrow Airport on 11 September 2011 where she was held in a cell for 12 hours, not allowed to contact ANYBODY in that time, it was eight hours before she was even asked a question. Terrorists/criminals do not get treated so appallingly, and who was at that time the Interim Head at the UKBA (a month before he stood down)? None other than Brian Moore former Chief of Wilts police and Senior Investigating Officer Operation Haven 1.

There is a large amount of media attention surrounding the allegations against former Prime Minister Edward Heath. As mentioned earlier in this posting he was a regular visitor to Jersey and guest of former President of Jersey Defence Committee (in charge of the police) Mike Wavell who ran, or owned, the Waters Edge Hotel at Bouley Bay where Heath's yacht would be moored up in the bay.

Indeed Heath was such a regular visitor to the island, in the final months of his life, we can exclusively reveal, that the States Of Jersey Police were involved with plans for his security and the arrangements which would have to be made should he die in Jersey.

The Heath story will sell "news"papers and make for attention grabbing headlines in the media. But for those who are interested in getting to the bottom of what is increasingly looking like a powerful UK (including Jersey) paedophile ring and how they are able to operate with impunity, then looking at the actions, and in-actions, of police forces like Wiltshire (and Jersey pre November 2008 and post November 2008).

Heath might be "The Headline" but he is NOT the story.

LEAH McGRATH GOODMAN AND HAUT DE LA GARENNE (EDM344)

Early Day Motion tabled by John Hemming MP.

• Session: 2013-14
• Date tabled: 02.07.2013
• Primary sponsor: Hemming, John
• Sponsors:
• That this House welcomes the arrival in the UK of US journalist Leah McGrath Goodman, the only journalist known to have been banned from the UK at any time during the last 10 years; notes that she was banned by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) in 2011 when she indicated an intention to research matters relating to Haut de la Garenne in Jersey; further notes that this was prior to the revelation of James Savile's visits to Haut de la Garenne; further notes that there are allegations children have disappeared from Jersey; further notes that the details of the original process resulting in her ban in 2011 and a full explanation of the delays in her being provided with a visa in 2013 have still not been revealed; calls on the UKBA to provide the missing CCTV records of the events in 2011 and full details of the communications relating to her being banned and the inquiries which delayed the provision of her visa in 2013; further calls on the Jersey government to co-operate with Ms Goodman in her investigations into the disappearance of these children; and further calls for the Government to stop being complacent about the disappearance of children from care in recent years and for the Government to recognise that an independent audit is required not only for financial arrangements but also for the outcomes for children.

Leah McGrath Goodman Exclusive Interview.

As published in the previous BLOG POSTING US investigative journalist and author Leah McGrath Goodman has been back to the Island of Jersey continuing her research into the Haut de la Garenne atrocities after being BANNED from the UK and Jersey for two years, later reduced to a year after the intervention of UK MP John Hemming and an ONLINE PETITION set up by Jersey politician Deputy Trevor Pitman. Miss Goodman was banned after it became apparent that she was investigating the decades of paedophilia and Child Abuse that has occurred in State run "care" homes and elsewhere on the Island.

Leah McGrath Goodman was joined, on her latest visit to the island, by a number of UK journalists including Home Affairs Editor of The Sunday Express Ted Jeory who has published an article in this weeks edition which we recommend readers take a look at HERE. Miss Goodman was also joined by (among others) a documentary filmmaker but more about that in an up-coming Blog.

In the (exclusive) interview below Leah McGrath Goodman explains how she has received information that the Jersey authorities are still treating the abuse victims/survivors the very same way as they were treated while they were being abused. The victims/survivors are, according to Miss Goodman, still being portrayed as liars and criminals by the governments lawyers involved in the redress scheme. We hear of "lodgers" staying at Haut de la Garenne while it was still being run as a children's home, and as mentioned in Ted Jeory's article Bergerac being filmed while children were still resident.

Miss Goodman also tells us "we WILL be naming them" in regards to the abusers who have not yet faced "justice." She recounts what she was told by a victim/survivor who said "if I could just wake up and know that they were sorry I could live again." We are also told how Jersey's reputation, on the world stage, is being damaged by those attempting to cover up the truth.

Inside Out Jersey Child Abuse.

Former Deputy Chief Officer and Senior Investigating Officer of Jersey's Child Abuse Investigation, Lenny Harper, has kindly responded to our request and submitted a posting on his thoughts and opinions of last night's "Inside Out" programme featured on BBC TV.

We had also asked Home Affairs Minister, Senator Ian Le Marquand to do the same, in order that we could give our readers/viewers a balanced article. Unfortunately, and characteristically, the Minister ignored our e-mails and after watching his "performance" on the programme one can understand if he feels the need to lie low for a while after being made to look (in our opinion) a complete fool, and inadequate, by journalist Sam Smith.

Fortunately (for them) our politicians are not expected to give an answer to any questions they "might" be asked of them by the local State Media but just look at what happens when Senator Le Marquand IS asked a question and his apparent disregard for the Victims/Survivors of the decades long Child Abuse.

Mr. Harper in his characteristic, no nonsense, style keeps the record, and history books, accurate as he dispels some of the apparent myths peddled in the programme by the Attorney General's Office and others.

Former SIO Lenny Harper.

VFC had asked me to comment on what I saw on the “Inside Out” programme tonight, so I sat down to watch it not knowing what to expect. So many times in the past, the media had promised to tell the truth about what went on in Jersey, and so many times had let the victims, survivors, and all working on their behalf, down. This time I was pleasantly surprised. Within the time constraints of twenty minutes or so, the “Inside Out” team did a pretty good job. Mind you, they had some help in the shape of the hapless Ian Le Marquand.

The aspect of this programme that stood out for me was the testimony of the victims who appeared. Together with Carrie Modral, their courage, determination, and dignity shone through. Despite the trauma this will have re-awakened, and despite the life-long effects suffered, they condemned those who had allowed them to suffer in a manner no one could deny. Watching the programme one could not help but feel anger at those authorities in Jersey who had inflicted such suffering on their own people. Firstly in allowing paedophiles to have unfettered free will in homes that they were supposed to be administering, and then to engage in the crudest and cruellest of cover-ups, not once, but again and again. What brought the qualities of the victims/survivors into stark focus was the contrast with the bumbling, struggling, grasping for words and excuses, Ian Le Marquand. His interview with Sam Smith was a lesson on when people would be better hiding in a TOILET. I doubt if making him look like an out of touch liar will be considered by Sam Smith to be one of her finest journalistic achievements. It was too easy. First he accused her of underplaying the complexity of re-examining the cases where people were not charged, despite myself and others being convinced of the strength of the evidence. “This is more complicated than you are making it” he whined. She demanded to know why.

Stumbling over his words he managed to say, “I don’t think prosecutors will be able to re-visit cases already looked at.”

“Why not?”she said.

“Unless there is new evidence.” However by now he was looking extremely uncomfortable.

Again Smith asked, “Why not?” Then, all over the place and hesitating like a frightened rabbit caught in headlights, he muttered, “Why not? There may be cases where they could do.” And to contradict himself even further, he went on, “In some cases they have.”

As if this was not bad enough, when asked by Smith if these people had not suffered enough he came out with the disgraceful line, accompanied by a smug smile, that “The criminal justice process never moves very fast.”

It certainly doesn’t when people like Ian Le Marquand and others in the Jersey Establishment do everything in their power to stop it from moving at all.

There were other disturbing revelations in the programme also. I knew that I had never had a formal allegation against Jimmy Savile whilst I was in Jersey. Tonight we discovered that “John” had made a formal complaint in 2009 and that the police (presumably Mick Gradwell supervised by David Warcup) had submitted a file to the Attorney General’s office. The AG’s office had ruled there was no further action to be taken. All this without even speaking to Savile. If there was enough to submit a file then surely there was enough to interview the suspect under caution. How did the prosecutors rule no further action without even knowing what the suspect would say to the allegation? John was angry that Saville was not even spoken to. I can understand why.

The Attorney General was asked about the cases which were not proceeded with. He apparently told the BBC that the reasons were made public in 2008 and 2009 and that to the “best of his knowledge” no one had ever challenged the assertions. This is rubbish, and the Attorney General knew it. I had challenged these assertions publicly many times. Indeed, I did it so publicly in one press release and a follow up report that the Attorney General ordered Graham Power to tell me to submit my reasons for criticising his office.

Anyone watching the programme tonight who knew nothing about Jersey would look at the pain and suffering which has blighted the lives of the abuse victims/survivors, and compare their demeanour with that of the man who is supposed to be responsible for the system in place to protect them. They would look at what they were saying, and how they said it, and they would know who is telling the truth. It would be nice to believe that the Committee of Inquiry will be given the teeth and the freedom to get to the truth and bring justice to the people denied it for so long. There is a long way to go yet. The Terms of Reference have been butchered. Important aspects have been left out without an EXPLANATION. Who is to say that the bullies in some section of the government will not intimidate those voting in January to veto the COI altogether? (Although, when you witness the foot stamping in the States when decent members attempt to raise the issue of child abuse, you wonder if it will take much intimidation.) However, there can be no doubt now that the eyes of the outside world are on Jersey and Ian Le Marquand’s pathetic attempt to hide the uncomfortable truth tonight will only ensure this attention intensifies. The blogs of Voice for Children and Rico Sorda will continue to shine the spotlight on the sordid activities of those who have previously only had an acquiescing media to contend with. Now that the UK media has broken the ice, I am sure that others will follow. Let us hope that justice for those so vilely abused is not far away. Lenny Harper(END)

VFC credit the BBC for this recording, which in our opinion, was a "fair" piece considering the very limited time allocated (17 minutes) and could not be expected to do real justice to the full story of what has been described as "the worst cover up in History."

We would also like to echo the sentiments of Mr. Harper and humbly pay tribute to the courage, tenacity and dignity of Carrie Modral and all Abuse Survivors. We thank Former SIO Harper for not deserting the Victims and Survivors (a la Gradwell) of the Jersey Child Abuse atrocities and for making himself available to those of us who wish to report the "facts" involving the Child Abuse Investigation and related matters.

Jimmy Savile, Haut de la Garenne and the State Media.

Back in February this year (2012) we published a BLOG highlighting a campaign run by Zibby Yates, a courageous survivor of Child Abuse, and taken up by THE GUERNSEY PRESS

Readers might be aware that the Guernsey Press is owned by the same company as Jersey's only "News"paper, the Jersey Evening Post, yet their reporting (or not) on Child Abuse, in our opinion, couldn't be any different. This suggests to us that the agenda of the editors is where the difference lies.

In the Jersey Evening Post we have seen attack, after attack, on the Former Senior Investigating Officer of the Jersey Child Abuse Investigation Mr. Lenny Harper and NO campaigning for the plight of the victims/survivors who suffered at the hands of their abusers for DECADES. This is in stark contrast to their sister paper in Guernsey.

After receiving an e-mail last night with a cutting of the Guernsey Press' latest comment we once more felt that this had to be shared with our readers (below) to highlight the difference in the reporting of both newspapers and how the Guernsey Press, once more, is doing the job its Jersey counterpart SHOULD be doing.


Beasts like Savile don't work alone.Wednesday 31st October 2012, 3:12PM GMT.

"EARLIER this year, a 7,000-plus signature petition was handed to the then-new Home minister as our Voice for Victims campaign to help those who had endured childhood sex abuse came to a successful conclusion.

Since then, there have been other local cases highlighting the scale of the problem – and now there are the daily disclosures about Jimmy Savile, which are, in every sense, off the scale and almost beyond comprehension.

Yet what the unfolding horror illustrates is how these predatory beasts operate, cultivating an acceptable exterior while creating a support network to ensure that their abuse can proliferate undetected. And it happens here.

One of Guernsey’s worst paedophiles is the formerly respected judo teacher Eugene Hughes, who, like Savile, systematically set about destroying the self-confidence of his victims, convincing them that complaint was futile and ensnaring them in the illusion of acceptability that he weaved around himself.

As is now clear following Savile’s death, this is confidence trickery on a sinister and epic scale: how could so many people and institutions be taken in for so long?

In part, it is that cultivated aura of ‘niceness’, that ‘old Jimmy might be a bit odd but he’s no pervert’ response it is designed to trigger. And in part it is due to the network of support that paedophiles build up around them and which will now be examined within the BBC and elsewhere as part of the inquiry process.

Statistically, each abuser will have a group of about 30 people around them, which makes the claims in Jersey that children from Haut de la Garenne were loaned out to rich boatowners particularly disturbing.(Emphasis added)

As we said when we launched our anti-abuse campaign, it is through increased awareness, demanding that the protection of children and help for victims be prioritised and fighting for the adoption of a zero-tolerance approach to these types of crimes that Voice for Victims aims to combat the silence which allows the sexual abuse of children to persist.

Those aims remain just as proportionate and achievable today.

And as the appalling revelations about Savile and others demonstrate, they are more urgently-needed than ever."(END)

When one compares this comment from The Guernsey Press alongside some of the reporting of the Jersey Evening Post's then it is not difficult to see where the priorities lie in the two very different newspapers/Editors.

The Jersey Evening Post appears to believe that how much Lenny Harper spent on a meal in a London restaurant takes priority over campaigning for Abuse Survivors and encouraging its readers to adopt a Zero-Tolerence concerning Child Abuse. One only needs to look HERE to get an idea of the Jersey Evening Post's "journalism" and agenda. Then take note of the words written by the Former Chief Police Officer Graham Power QPM;

"The attempts to divert this debate into discussions concerning the trivia of expense claims, is a scandal of which all involved should be thoroughly ashamed."

Jimmy Savile was invited to Haute de la Garenne and allegedly abused children while he was there. Who invited Savile, not only to the Children's home but to Jersey........So often? Who were his contacts in Jersey? How could children be abused FOR DECADES in Jersey's State run institutions before Lenny Harper and Graham Power came along? Has a powerful paedophile ring been active in Jersey for decades? Why won't ANY of the island's State Media expose the alleged Child Abuse suspects still in position of power/authority today? Why won't BBC Jersey, or ANY of the State Media, publish Graham Power's interim defence case to the Wiltshire allegations? Could decades of Child Abuse have occurred without the complicity of the island's State Media?

Isn't it time that Jersey's "journalists" started getting some of these questions answered? Should there be a "job swap" between the editors of The Guernsey Press and The Jersey Evening Post? What part, if any, has the State Media played in the concealment of paedophilia on this island?

Bloggers (Jersey's only independent media) with documented evidence have torn to shreds the official version of events concerning the decades of Child Abuse which has mostly been ignored by the State Media.........why?

Credit must go to the Guernsey Press, and its editors, for their willingness to rock the boat. Credit must be given for its Zero-Tolerence to Child Abuse and its campaigns for the Abuse Victims/Survivors. 

In the meantime Bloggers (Jersey's only independent media) will continue to ask the questions that should be asked by the State Media in an attempt to protect the vulnerable from the "Predatory Beasts" like Savile and those closer to home! 

This post, once more should demonstrate the need for an independent, Journalist to report on the Jersey Child Abuse scandal and related issues.

Please sign and share the petition to restore the visa of US Journalist LEAH MC GRATH GOODMAN?

Jimmy Savile, Jersey, BBC and suspects (Part two)

In part two of our exclusive and in-depth interview with former Senior Investigating Officer of the Jersey Child Abuse Investigation Lenny Harper we discuss, and try to fathom out, the culture of concealment surrounding paedophilia, the agenda of the discredited, and disgraced BBC along with the rest of the island's State Media and how they just fail to understand that protecting children should be at the forefront.

Carrying directly on from Part 1 of this interview the subject is on the BBC and how they set an agenda of "News." Not long after Mr. Harper's interview on BBC State Radio was aired, their Headline was that Mr. Harper was calling for an independent Police Force to investigate the Savile allegations in Jersey. Contrary to the impression given to some by the BBC Mr. Harper (as explained in part 1 of this interview) has the upmost respect for the SOJP but knows there will be political interference.

It was the BBC's Headline that set the agenda but to my way of thinking was not the biggest revelation of Mr. Harper's interview with them. He said, live on air, that there are still Child Abuse suspects working in the "care" system in Jersey, surely that was the most frightening, chilling, and "newsworthy" statement he made? I immediately phoned the BBC "News"room in an attempt to point this out but was told that this has been mentioned before and didn't need repeating (or words to that effect).

In light of the latest Savile allegations and the possible culture of concealment within the BBC I could barely believe my ears and had to explain, "Surely the priority should be to protect our children and if there are Child Abusers in our "Care" system then this should be the Headline "News?" I was told if I wasn't happy then I could submit a complaint to the BBC trust!

This is the very attitude that allowed Jimmy Savile, and no doubt countless others, to carry on abusing children. Do/say nothing when you have the ideal opportunity to expose those who are a danger to our children.

The interview (below) also demonstrates  further misinformation put out by the BBC when one could clearly hear the producer of the show frantically saying in Chris stones ear-piece that Home Affairs Minister, Senator Ian Le Marquand, supported a Committee Of Inquiry (into the Child Abuse) when in-fact Senator Le Marquand voted AGAINST a Committee Of Inquiry.

Of course it's not just the BBC who look to be complicit in the suppression of documented evidence and misinformation, according to Mr. Harper, and a growing number of others, the entire local State Media has played its part and ignored the MASSIVE amount of documented evidence, leaked to, and published by, the local Blogs (Jersey's only independent media).

As regular viewers/readers would have come to expect this interview asks the questions that the State Media won't.....and gets the answers. The State Media attempt to set an agenda that is misleading and ducks the real issues as in this case the protection of our children.

Mr. Harper, in his trademark manner, tells it how it is as uncomfortable as that might be for the ruling elite, and the state Media, in Jersey, as well as the paedophiles and those protecting them.

The Blogs are the ONLY place in Jersey where you are going to get the evidence of the Jersey Child Abuse cover up and as Mr Harper explains, the State Media is "conspicuous by its silence." As are Messrs Gradwell and Warcup by theirs.

Part one of this interview can be viewed HERE

Mr. Harper's interview with State Radio can be heard HERE

Jimmy Savile, Jersey, BBC and suspects. (Part 1)

Former Deputy Chief Police Officer and Senior Investigating Officer of Jersey's Child Abuse Investigation, Lenny Harper, speaks to VFC about Jimmy Savile, the Jersey government, judicial system, Police Force and perhaps most importantly suspects in the Child Abuse Investigation STILL employed by the States of Jersey who have never faced justice. Not only are these suspects employed by the States but their position allegedly allows them alarming access to children and vulnerable adults.

Yesterday Mr. Harper was permitted a short interview on BBC State Radio which left a number of listeners with the belief that Mr. Harper was levelling criticism towards the States of Jersey Police by suggesting an independent Police Force should be recruited to investigate the Jimmy Savile case in Jersey.

Not for the first time the BBC had given those listeners the complete wrong impression, as Mr. Harper explains in part one of this in-depth interview, he has nothing but the upmost respect for the SOJP, as a force, and believes the problems lay with the island's "political masters" so we are happy to undo any damage that might have been caused to the reputation of the SOJP by the BBC.

Mr. Harper, in this interview, gives us a chilling account of an alleged suspect in the Child Abuse Inquiry where around a dozen  victims have given a statement against the person, who Mr. Harper tells us, just the mention of his name causes "Absolute Fear"  amongst victims but still remains in a position to harm others.

The Former Senior Investigating Officer goes on to tell us that, in his opinion, "The Victims are the ones who are being targeted by the Jersey Government and the abusers are the ones who are being protected."

What is the real BIG story here, is it that Jimmy Savile abused children in Jersey, or is it that the government allowed, and possibly still allows paedophilia to go unpunished if one has the right connections? Will Jimmy Savile's victims ever get justice? Let's hope so, but what about those who have been abused by the alleged "protected" in Jersey who are still alive and a danger to children, shouldn't our attention be turned to them before it's too late, and those accused never see the inside of a court room?

The BBC appear's to believe the BIG story is that Mr. Harper has suggested an outside Police Force be called in to investigate the Savile allegations but more about that, the BBC's agenda, misinformation and much, much more in part two.

For those who want to listen to the short interview with Mr. Harper on State Radio yesterday it can be found HERE.

To get some much needed factual and impartial journalism reported in Jersey, other than the Blogs, could we firstly thank those who have signed and shared the petition to restore the visa of banned US journalist, Leah McGrath Goodman, and secondly ask to keep spreading the word and it can be signed HERE

Banned U.S. Journalist, Leah McGrath Goodman, Update.

U.S. author and Investigative Journalist, Leah McGrath Goodman, who was banned from entering the UK and Jersey after it became apparent she was investigating the Child Abuse, and possible murder, at Jersey "care" home Haut de la Garenne STILL remains banned. Jersey Immigration has finally admitted, according to Ms Goodman, that the "writers Visa" she was advised to apply for (by Jersey Immigration) doesn't exist! 

Regular readers will be aware that after learning of Ms Goodman's ban and appalling treatment she was allegedly subjected to at the hands of the UK Border Agency and Jersey Immigration, local politician Deputy Trevor Pitman, launched an online petition to raise awareness of Ms Goodman's plight and hopefully bring pressure on the agencies to do the right thing and allow her to continue her work and issue her a visa that DOES exist.

Leah McGrath Goodman has updated her story to the signatories of her/Deputy Trevor Pitman's petition and we re-produce it here.

Jersey Update from Leah McGrath Goodman:

It has been just over a month and the island of Jersey is keenly aware of the progress of this petition...so please keep it coming. It is having immense impact. I am with all of you in spirit, although as yet I am still not allowed back in the UK...

Right now, several UK newspapers and media outlets are in touch amid the Jimmy Savile scandal, as revelations emerge daily of his abusing children at the very same Jersey orphanage I am investigating -- Haut de la Garenne.

This lends a great deal of credence the victims' (previously ignored) testimonies of appalling crimes committed at Haut de la Garenne against children across decades by the rich and privileged -- islanders as well as visitors such as Savile.

One reporter for a major London daily told me, "We have been asking ourselves for days why the press did nothing about this...Now that I hear your story about how you were kicked out of the country for investigating it, I know." Jersey's police has stated that it received complaints of Savile's acts against children but did not charge him due to "insufficient evidence." (It remains to be seen what evidence would be sufficient on an island that has no sex offenders registry.)

By not stopping Savile, the authorities effectively stepped aside and allowed him to continue preying on children until his death. The UK now likes to refer to these matters as "in the past" or "historic" or "it happened in a different era."

Really? In Jersey, people accused of horrific crimes against children are still enjoying high-ranking government posts in health and education -- in other words, close to defenseless children. We know their names and we know what they did according to their accusers. But they have never been charged.

Why? In Jersey, if the Attorney General does not agree to apprehend a person, the police cannot apprehend him. There is no appealing that decision. Neat, huh?

Regarding my plight, Jersey Immigration has stated I am quite welcome to return to the island, provided I get a non-existent "Writer's visa." Yes, this visa does not exist. This week, they finally admitted there is no form for such a visa. We are still awaiting a coherent answer as to what they now advise me to do.

While it is hard to believe any of these things could happen in a Western democracy -- let alone on an island that answers to the Queen -- what might be even harder to believe is that so many people have been trampled so many times in trying to effect lasting change, the vast majority of them have given up. After what I have seen, I don't blame them.

But the truth must come out. Help us keep the pressure on and pass this along to a few more people, if you have a chance. Those of you from Jersey, hang in there. For those of you from elsewhere, this is a beautiful island with truly amazing people. It does not deserve anything less than safety for its children -- and the truth.

Hope this finds you and your families well -- and happy autumn.

Leah.(END)

We ask our readers to support Ms Goodman's struggle with Jersey Immigration and please sign the petition HERE.

We (the good people of Jersey) are sick and tired of Jersey's reputation being dragged through the mud because of a few power crazed nut-cases who are hell bent on keeping the truth buried concerning the horrors that occurred at Haut de la Garenne and other State run institutions on the island .

Banning a Western Journalist from researching the facts will further damage the reputation of this beautiful island which has suffered enough because of a select few.

The victims/survivors of the horrendous Child Abuse deserve to have their story told and Jersey needs to show the world's stage that it is willing to face up to its failings.......Please sign the petition.