This Is Guernsey

By Nick Mann

The Mail on Sunday and News of the World both published ‘exclusive’ reports over the weekend which challenged the former deputy police chief Lenny Harper’s role in the recent Jersey Police inquiry into Haut de la Garenne. (0672799)

DISCOVERIES are continuing at Haut de la Garenne which undermine the case that there were murders at the former care home.

Last week, Jersey Police discredited the inquiry made by the former deputy police chief, Lenny Harper, when he was in charge of the investigation.

The inquiry continues to attract national newspaper interest with both the Mail on Sunday and News of the World carrying ‘exclusive’ stories on the issue at the weekend.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell had revealed the latest discovery.

What Mr Harper had described as ‘shackles’ had been positively identified as a roofing gutter bracket and electric cable pin of a type widely used in Jersey’s granite buildings since the 1950s.

It follows revelations made by the police on Wednesday that what in February had been described as the possible fragments of child’s skull was probably a Victorian coconut shell.

The Mail on Sunday has also obtained a confidential email sent by Mr Harper to Jersey’s chief minister, Frank Walker, the former Home Affairs minister Wendy Kinnard and chief executive Bill Ogley.

In it, Mr Harper said that on 1 May he had received the results of new tests conducted on more bone fragments dug up at Haut de la Garenne that showed they were from the skull of a child.

‘They are extremely well preserved and the expert’s initial findings are that the child died fairly recently, certainly no earlier than the 1950s, but probably later,’ an extract reproduced in the Mail on Sunday said.

‘These findings will be confirmed by carbon dating. You will realise the significance of these findings, as confirmation will mean that a homicide inquiry will have to [be] launched.’

Mr Harper contacted the Guernsey Press to rebuff the Mail on Sunday’s interpretation of the email.

‘Apart from the delicious irony of the chief minister, another political friend of his, or his CE [chief executive], leaking this, after they have appointed officers from Sussex Police to spend the last few days asking at least six British journalists “if Lenny Harper has ever leaked official documents to them”, the wording of the email actually corroborates my account of what I have said during the historical abuse inquiry,’ said Mr Harper.

‘It also gives the lie to Mr Walker’s assertion, and that of his Home Affairs minister, Andrew Lewis, that they were not kept up to date by me.’

After the email was sent, Mr Harper said the bones had been sent for carbon dating, which failed to tie down the age of them.

‘One typical estimate received from it was that the bones were of someone who died between 1650 and 1950. On receiving this information, we immediately made it public.’

Article posted on 18th November, 2008 - 2.29pm