Demolish Jersey abuse home, report recommends

The Haut de la Garenne children’s home in Jersey should be demolished, a long-awaited report into historical abuse and mistreatment of youngsters on the island has recommended.

The home, dubbed “the house of horrors”, was where hundreds of crimes were carried out over decades before it was shut in the 1980s.

The recommendation to consider demolishing its buildings came in an inquiry report detailing the tragic history of abuse on the island.

The inquiry, chaired by Frances Oldham QC, said: “We believe that the buildings at Haut de la Garenne are a reminder of an unhappy past or shameful history for many people.”

It said the home was a “symbol of the turmoil and trauma” of the police inquiry into the abuse.

The £23 million inquiry heard evidence of a “Jersey Way” that involved the protection of powerful interests and resistance to change, and a culture of fear pervaded that deterred whistleblowers.

For many decades, social work practice failed to develop standards commonplace in other parts of the world.

The report said: “For many children who were removed from home situations deemed harmful or unsatisfactory, the States of Jersey proved to be an ineffectual and neglectful substitute parent.”