Lenny Harper gives evidence to the Jersey Care inquiry

Embed from Getty Images

Lenny Harper, formally a senior police office on the island, has been giving evidence to the inquiry into the care system in Jersey.

BBC News has a report of his evidence. On the policing of Jersey he said:

Lenny Harper, who was appointed deputy chief officer of the force in 2003, told the inquiry there were approaching a dozen suspects who had been arrested and files were presented to the Law Officers Department but they were not charged by the attorney general. 

He said the police took possession of computers senior members of the IT Department "had bought on the police budgets with pornographic films on the computers and no charges were ever brought against them". 

He told the inquiry he could also remember at least four cases in which officers who had been suspended by the States of Jersey Police (SOJP) were reinstated by the States of Jersey.

And on child abuse on the island he

gave evidence about "a culture emerging in Jersey of systematic child abuse" which was "far worse" than a single paedophile ring. 

He said: "Children were in effect being loaned out to people taken on yachting trips" and there were allegations of abuse taking place outside of territorial waters which were not dealt with properly by the police.